Right Reverend Philip S. Wright, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese, is back in Belize following his election as Archbishop of the Church in the Province of the West Indies.
He was greeted by a group of students from the Anglican Cathedral College upon his return to Belize, when he arrived at the Biltmore this afternoon. He was in good spirits as he spoke about his new role. Here's what he had to say at the press briefing.
Right Reverend Philip S. Wright, Archbishop, Church in the Province of the West Indies
"I make this pledge to you do not hesitate to approach me, now you can I guess you can safely say issues local and regional please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you will try my best at every turn, to answer you to the best of my ability and if I can't immediately I will get back to you and I do mean that. Not everybody says that to the media but I do extend that invitation and finally I will say because some people have been asking when you become Archbishop there is no ordination there are only 3 ordination you ordinate a deacon a priest or a Bishop, anything beyond that is a title that is granted to you. So I have already been ordained a bishop so I can't be ordained an Archbishop what it means is when we sit in meetings with the house of bishops there is a term we use I am the first among equals it just simply means I will chair meetings of the house of bishops and there is a sense in which I will try to give guidance and direction. What that means is sometime, probably in the first quarter of the new year, I can't see it happening before then, we do plan to have what might be called a service of recognition or installation at which I would be formally recognized and there are some rituals we are a ritualistic church, there will be some rituals surrounding that and we will certainly let you know, and I would invite you to that as well because it might be a long time before you get to see that kind of thing again."
A message of congratulation from the Prime Minister's Office says, quote,
"This milestone is a moment of pride and distinction for the Anglican Community in Belize and the rest of the Caribbean....Archbishop-elect Wright is recognized as an influential figure who promotes meaningful engagement between the church and state on critical matters, such as education, social development, and justice."
