Dear Editor,
It is with great indignation that I am penning this letter to condemn the obscene and vulgar conduct of Guyana’s self- proclaimed “Pope”, Philbert London of the Beacon Ministries, whose sexual exploits went viral on social media last week.
As an African political and cultural activist my concern is that London’s actions are not only an embarrassment to the Christian community, but more importantly, to the African community in Guyana. For me this is a matter of African dignity and respect for our women. His conduct is an abomination and strikes at our collective sense of self-respect, decency and how we project ourselves to the world.
Given the fact that we, African people, are waging an intense struggle, both at home and abroad for recognition and to be treated with due respect, we must, in the face of London’s atrocities against members of our female community and the ridiculous postures assumed by some who see nothing wrong in London’s ridiculous behaviour ask ourselves: what are the values we want to impart to our vulnerable youth population? We keep preaching in their ears about the need for a better lifestyle, and the virtues of church and religion. Yet, in the face of existing sex videos of an African Elder who (has declared himself to be the most highly placed of “men of the cloth”) is engaged in sexual misconduct with female members of his church, we are being asked to forgive his conduct. London’s exposed sexual acts are lethal poisons that have the potential of corrupting our young peoples’ minds in unimagined ways. London’s sexual exploits should not be emulated and become a way of life among our young people; these are practices, which are clothed in a religious ideology that says the High Priest, Bishop or Pope is right in spite of their wrongdoing.
It is true that two clergymen of the Christian community have publicly spoken out against the self-proclaimed Pope, breaking what was emerging as a pronounced silence of the Christian hierarchy on this matter. Most notable are Bishop Juan Edghill’s comments on the matter. The Bishop, when cornered by journalists for a comment condemned London and apologized to the nation for the actions of the self-proclaimed pope. While this gesture was welcome, I do not believe it went far enough in underscoring the gravity of the situation and to my mind should be taken with a pinch of salt. To all appearances Bishop Edghill, at the time of commenting on the matter, was setting the stage for the rehabilitation of London, even before the fallen pope had confessed his sins and asked for forgiveness. I do not want to go into Christian/religious niceties including the role of an intercessor. However, it should be noted that London surfaced on the same day that the Bishop had set the stage for his premature rehabilitation. The man was arrogant and non-repentant – “I have nothing to say” – “Speak to my attorney”. Since then we have had a long missive from his lawyer in what is not yet a legal matter but a religious and moral issue. This attorney’s involvement in the matter at this juncture strikes at the integrity of the profession. Is money the only thing that matters to members of the profession? If the self-proclaimed man of God was facing criminal charges, my position would be different since he is entitled to a legal defence in a court of law. His trial in the public domain is legitimate and morally correct. After all, he is a public person who doesn’t confine his preachings to the walls of his church. In disseminating information and in his quest to institutionalise his image as Guyana’s supreme religious leader, London has made use of the electronic media and the television on several occasions. The reference by his council that his behaviour is a matter for his church and not the public is hogwash, dishonest, and shows the lengths he and his council are prepared to go to in order to deceive the flock.
When I read in the newspaper the defence of the “immoral Pope” by women of his congregation I asked myself, how ridiculous are some of the faithful? Their behaviour raises a number of questions which I will not get into here. One defender invoked the Biblical scriptures, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”. It is time African Christians return to the sense of ‘Balance’ we had before our enslavement.
I am also concerned that to date not one African cultural organization has come out denouncing the so-called Pope and his demeaning behaviour. I repeat this is a matter of African dignity, respect for our women and our collective sense of decency. London’s shame is our shame. We must condemn his abomination. I call on African leaders to break the silence and end this cultural heresy. London’s recent apology on Facebook was far from convincing and should in no way sidetrack us from condemning him.
Yours faithfully,
Tacuma Ogunseye
