Archbishop Patrick Pinder of Nassau, Bahamas (IN PHOTO) has highlighted “the Catholic social tradition which urges us to challenge laws which discriminate against persons for whatever reason including sexual orientation” in his inaugural address as president of the Antilles Episcopal Conference at its 56th annual meeting in Georgetown, Guyana, April 22-27. He also urged his fellow bishops to refine their skills at inviting people to inform their consciousness as to the issues at stake in the “in a way that does not attract criticism, even ridicule and claims of being biased or divisive.”

"Easter is the time where the Church invites us to ponder what it means to say and to believe that Christ is risen from the dead", affirmed Archbishop Pinder.

Archbishop Pinder welcomed the Apostolic Nuncio and the new bishops of the Conference. He also thanked Archbishops Donald Reece and Edward Gilbert who had served the AEC and are now retired. He also thanked Archbishop Robert Rivas and Bishop Gabriel Malzaire for their pastoral leadership of the diocese of Bridgetown and Kingstown and St John Basseterre respectively.

In closing he thanked Bishop Francis Alleyne of Georgetown, Guyana, the generous host of the 2012 AEC Annual Plenary Meeting.