Roman Catholic Archbishop Joseph Harris says he has never disrespected any religious leader in Trinidad and Tobago and has no intention of descending into the gutter at this time.
“I am not going down that road at all,” the Archbishop said during a radio interview in response to Maha Sabha secretary general Sat Maharaj’s telling him to go to hell and stay out of Hindu business.
Maharaj has come under fire for his comments and calls have been made for him to apologise to the Archbishop and also to step down as secretary general. Several Hindu groups and individuals have also said Maharaj did not represent their views.
Yesterday, Harris said he wanted no war with Maharaj who used the Indian Arrival Day platform at Penal/Debe to lash out at the Archbishop for his position on reviewing the Marriage Acts which permit children under the age of 18 to get married with parental consent.
Harris said the statements coming from Maharaj were very unfortunate.
“I don’t think it is deserved. People react for all kinds of reasons. I don’t know what is Mr Maharaj’s reason,” he said.
The Archbishop had denounced the act of child marriages as nothing more than legalised statutory rape and supported Government’s plan to increase the age limit to 18.
Maharaj’s support of the Child Marriage Act caused a furore among religious and civil groups, especially after Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) head, Brother Harry Maharaj, said there was unanimous support for it following a recent meeting.
However, one by one the groups, including Hindu organisations which the IRO said supported the Act, came out in the open denying there was concensus. At the risk of being drawn into further conflict with Maharaj, Harris said contrary to Maharaj’s belief, child marriage was not a Hindu thing.
He said at one time even the Catholic Church allowed for marriage of children from age 14 to 16 but noted it had since moved past that.
“I do not see child marriage as a Hindu thing. We live in a very cosmopolitan society with various cultures in it. There are other cultures and religions that support it,” the Archbishop said.
“If Mr Maharaj wants to take it that every child marriage is Hindu that is his business but certainly it is not,” he added.