Retired Archbishop Drexel Gomez Dies at 88 

Retired Anglican Archbishop Drexel Gomez, one of Caribbean’s most respected religious leaders has died at the age of 88. His family confirmed the Archbishop Gomez’s passing, emphasizing that he was battling with stomach cancer.

The family said that Gomez died at his son’s home where he had been living since the past year. Gomez retired at the age of 70 and remained a deeply influential person in the Anglican Church both locally and internationally. He was known for his intellect, firm leadership, and steady moral compass. He played a crucial role in shaping the church’s policy and guiding people across the Caribbean.

Gomez has left behind his wife Carrol, and his four children, Damian, Dennis, Dominic, and Deborah.

Following his passing the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley shared a heartfelt message in his tribute, “Today, I join with Anglicans across Barbados and the Caribbean to pay respects to a soft-spoken gentleman with Bahamian roots, who made Barbados his home for 20 years, becoming as steeped in local customs and practices as any born Bajan.”

In the official statement released the Prime Minister called Gomez as a special person, with a pleasant personality and a smiling face. He was the last non-Barbadian head of the local Anglican Church and ended the tradition that was predated to the formation of the Barbados Anglican Diocese in 1824.

“I recall, looking back on my days as a girl at the St. Mary’s Anglican Church and St. Michael’s Cathedral, observing and interacting with a Bishop, whose dignity, warmth and ease of communication drew young and old alike to him,” the Prime Minister recalled.

The Prime Minister also reflected onto the time when Gomez tenure as Anglican Bishop of Barbados was coming to close in 1992. She stated that as a young adult she remembered him as a personality with warm smile and soft voice.

While ending her statement, the Prime Minister noted extended deep condolences to the family of the archbishop on behalf of Barbados, “I extend sincere condolences to his wife and children, as well as to the entire local Anglican community. May his soul rest in peace and rise in glory.”

Apart from the Prime Minister of Barbados, several other respected leaders from across the Caribbean extended their messages of condolences to the family of the archbishop.

The Associates Times also joins the region in extending heartfelt condolences to the family, and friends of Archbishop Drexel Gomez.