On the occasion of the passing of His Holiness, John Paul II, the General Secretary of the Caribbean Conference of Churches (CCC), Gerard Granado (IN PHOTO), extended prayerful sympathy to the worldwide Catholic Community by way of an official condolence letter issued April 8, as well as a courtesy call paid to the Apostolic Nuncio, His Excellency, Archbishop Thomas Gullickson, at his official Port of Spain residence.

The latter took place on Wednesday, April 8. On this occasion, the General Secretary personally delivered his sympathy to His Excellency and took the opportunity to sign the condolence book.

In his letter, Mr Granado lauded the contribution of the late pontiff to the ecumenical effort, citing an address that John Paul II delivered to bishops on the occasion of the 25 th anniversary of his Pontificate.

In that address the Holy Father strongly encouraged bishops to give their full support to the ecumenical process, “so that the Church may shine among the peoples to rally them to unity and concord...”

The CCC 's letter further congratulated the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC), for its longstanding support of the ecumenical movement in the Caribbean, while also expressing the hope that the Holy Father's passing “may serve to inspire a deepening and general enhancement of the relationship enjoyed thus far by the AEC and the CCC .”

Identifying the Holy Father as above all, “a person of prayer”, the General Secretary concluded his letter by giving the assurance that Pope John Paul II would be held in prayerful remembrance by the CCC , and that the guidance of the Holy Spirit will be also prayed for as the College of Cardinals embarks upon the process of selecting his successor.