Justice and Peace in a Renewed Caribbean Contemporary Catholic Reflections

The Roman Catholic Bishops of the Caribbean, the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC), have over the past forty years written statements addressed to their faithful and people in the wider Caribbean. The statements covered a wide range of issues impinging on the life and faith of Caribbean people, including political engagement, crime and violence, homosexuality, HIV-AIDS, sexuality, the environment. A key theme running through the statements is the concern with justice. This collection of critical essays and personal reflections explores the insights provided by these statements. In so doing, it presents a critical reading of the corpus with a view to presenting its relevance to the regional and global conversation on matters of human flourishing. The authors of the volume represent the diverse voices from within the Catholic Caribbean, particularly some fresh new voices. This collection brings together the voices of men and womenpastors, laity, theologians, political leaders, educators; each essayist considers a specific statement and provides a commentary and interpretation of its contents as well as a considered assessment of its impact on the life of the faithful. Academics, lay persons, pastors, policy makers and politicians will find this a useful collection.

Anna Kasafi Perkins is a former dean of studies at St. Michael's Theological College in Jamaica; she is currently the senior programme officer, Quality Assurance, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. Donald Chambers is a pastor at Holy Cross Church in Kingston, Jamaica, and a former lectur/formator at the Regional Seminary, St. John Vianney and the Uganda Martyrs in Trinidad. Jacqueline Porter is currently a lecture in Religious Education and Spanish at the St. Joseph's Teachers' College in St. Andrew, Jamaica.