By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ARCHBISHOP Drexel Wellington Gomez, one of the most influential religious figures in the Caribbean and a towering voice of the Anglican Church, died yesterday after a long battle with stomach cancer. He was 86.

The former Archbishop of the West Indies, who shaped theological discourse across the region and led the Bahamian Anglican community through decades of change, passed away nearly seven months after being hospitalised.

The Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands said it shared “immense sorrow” over his passing. Diocesan Bishop Laish Boyd said Archbishop Gomez’s influence spanned not only the local church but also the wider Caribbean and global Anglican Communion.

“His contribution spans the Diocese, the community of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Province of the West Indies, and the worldwide Anglican Communion,” Bishop Boyd said. “It would be fair to say that the impact of this Bahamian son from Bullocks Harbour, the Berry Islands, to the world stage has been nothing short of tremendous.”

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis called him one of the nation’s “finest sons of the cloth”, describing him as a man of deep conviction and quiet strength.

“When he spoke, you listened. Not because he demanded it, but because truth and conviction lived in his words,” Mr Davis said. “ When he became Archbishop of the Church in the Province of the West Indies, he carried our flag with pride. He chaired global commissions, shaped theological thought, and stood firm in the face of division. But even as his name was spoken in the great cathedrals of the world, his heart remained close to home, to his parish, his people, and his beloved church on Baillou Hill Road.”

Former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said Archbishop Gomez played a central role in shaping the Anglican province’s response to doctrinal controversies, particularly on issues of sexuality and church order.

“He was a leading voice among conservative Anglican leaders, contributing to the Windsor Report and working to uphold communion-wide standards of doctrine and discipline,” Dr Minnis said. “Archbishop Gomez sacrificed much to help develop and strengthen his beloved Anglican community. He was also a patriot who loved The Bahamas.”

The Windsor Report, released in 2004, concluded that the Anglican Communion was facing a serious crisis over divisions surrounding same-sex relationships and the consecration of openly gay clergy. It called for repentance and restraint from provinces that had acted unilaterally, urged a pause on further consecrations and blessings until greater consensus was reached, and recommended the creation of an Anglican Covenant to set out shared principles of belief and accountability across the Communion.

Archbishop Gomez played a leading role in shaping the report’s legacy. As one of its contributors and later chair of the Covenant Design Group, he helped draft the Anglican Covenant proposed in response to the report’s recommendations. His leadership reflected his belief in doctrinal discipline, church unity, and the need for provinces to act in communion rather than independently on matters of faith and morality.

Born in Bullocks Harbour, Berry Islands, Archbishop Gomez moved to New Providence at age seven and was raised at St Agnes Anglican Church. He attended Western Senior School before studying theology at Codrington College in Barbados and St Chad’s College at Durham University in England.

Ordained a deacon in 1959 and a priest in 1961, he went on to serve as diocesan secretary and later as principal of Codrington College. In 1972, at only 36, he was consecrated and enthroned as Lord Bishop of Barbados.

He later became Bishop of The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands in 1996 and, three years later, was elected Archbishop and Primate of the Church in the Province of the West Indies — a position he held until his retirement in 2008.

Archbishop Gomez also served on the 1980s Commission of Inquiry into Drug Smuggling, where he was respected for his independent stance and sharp intellect. In that report, he challenged the majority’s interpretation of unexplained deposits and financial transactions linked to the then-Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling. he argued that, while some payments could have non-drug origins, “it certainly cannot be contested that the Prime Minister did not exercise sufficient care to preclude the possibility of drug-related funds reaching his bank account or being applied for his benefit.”

Father James Palacious remembered Archbishop Gomez as a man who “spoke truth to power” and whose intellect and mentorship left a lasting mark on clergy. “He taught me many things,” he said. “He told me how to draft letters and how to edit papers and really be on top theologically of what was going on. He was the one who was bold enough to ordain my wife as a priest. He believed in the ordination of women, he pursued it, and made it happen.”

Bishop Neil C Ellis described their relationship as one of mutual respect, recalling their theological discussions as a testament to Archbishop Gomez’s open-mindedness and humility.

“Our discussions were rich, our respect was mutual, and our friendship was sincere,” Bishop Ellis said. “What a tremendous impact he made on the Body of Christ, locally, regionally and globally. I shall miss this man of God, this son of the soil, whose life was a testament to faith, wisdom, and service.”

Funeral arrangements will be announced by the Anglican Diocese.