New Primate elected in the West Indies: CEN 12.18.09 p 5

First published in The Church of England Newspaper. The Bishop of Barbados, Dr John Holder has been elected Primate of the Church of the Province of the West Indies.

Meeting at the Georgetown’s Convention Hall in Guyana, on Dec 10 the provincial synod elected Dr Holder to succeed Archbishop Drexel Gomez as primate and archbishop of the church in the English-language nations of the Caribbean, Belize and Guyana. Details of the vote tally have not been released, but the new archbishop bested the Bishop of Jamaica in the final round of voting.

“It is an honour to be elected. It’s a challenging task, but I am sure I would do my very best to carry on the good work of my predecessors,” Dr Holder told representatives of the Barbadian press after his election.

Educated at Codrington College in Barbados, Dr Holder was ordained a deacon in 1974 and priest in 1975 for the Diocese of the Windward Islands at St George’s Cathedral in St Vincent. He served two years as curate of the cathedral before returning to Codrington College to serve as a tutor in Biblical Studies. He earned degrees from the University of the West Indies and the University of the South in the United States, and in 1981 began doctoral studies at Kings College, London, earning a PhD in 1985.

Upon his return to Barbados, he rejoined the staff of Codrington College as Lecturer in Old Testament Studies while also serving as priest in charge of a several parishes on the island. In 2000 he was elected 13th Bishop of Barbados.

Married with one son, Dr Holder faces a challenging environment as archbishop. Crime and social issues have been primary topics of concern in recent years in the West Indies, and the church has been at the forefront of moves to strengthen the family and social structures on the islands. It has also taken the lead in opposing the reinstitution of the death penalty in the West Indies — reintroduced by several countries in response to the drugs-fuelled crime wave of the past decade.

The new archbishop is expected to continue the domestic and international policies of his predecessor, Archbishop Drexel Gomez, who like Dr Holder served as a tutor at Codrington College and as Bishop of Barbados.