Archbishop Drexel Wellington Gomez, one of the Caribbean’s most respected Anglican leaders, has died in his native Bahamas at the age of 88. Photo: Internet Source

Gomez, who served as Archbishop and Primate of the Church in the Province of the West Indies and was the first Caribbean-born Bishop of Barbados in the diocese’s 200-year history, passed away at the home of his son, Damian Gomez, a prominent lawyer and politician, the Nassau Guardian reported.

He had previously been hospitalized with pneumonia following surgery and was later diagnosed with stomach cancer, relatives said. They had earlier asked for national prayers “for his well-being and healing, for his continued life of service to God, and for his continued example of prayer and faithful devotion.”

Consecrated and enthroned as Lord Bishop of Barbados on June 24, 1972, at age 36, Gomez became both the first Caribbean-born Bishop of Barbados and one of the youngest bishops in the diocese’s history, which began in 1824 with William Hart Coleridge. His appointment followed an impasse in the Elective Synod after the retirement of Bishop Lewis Evans, prompting regional bishops to select him for the Barbados See.

During his two decades in Barbados, Gomez built a reputation as a dynamic and reform-minded leader who modernized the Anglican Church and strengthened its role in public life. His tenure coincided with a period of social transformation across the Caribbean, and he frequently spoke about moral renewal, education, and community upliftment. He was also the last occupant of the historic Bishop’s Court residence.

A lecturer at Codrington College, Gomez mentored generations of Anglican clergy from across the Caribbean. Under his leadership, the Barbados See deepened intra-regional ties within the Church in the Province of the West Indies (CPWI) and expanded lay participation in parish governance.

After leaving Barbados in 1992, Gomez was translated to the Diocese of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands and, in 1996, elected Archbishop and Primate of the West Indies — a post he held until his retirement on December 31, 2008.

Born on January 24, 1937, in the Berry Islands, Gomez grew up in Nassau, worshipping at St. Agnes Church. He attended Western Senior School before pursuing theological studies at Codrington College in Barbados, then affiliated with Durham University, earning his degree in 1959. He was ordained a deacon that same year and a priest in 1961.

Gomez later served as diocesan secretary in The Bahamas before his appointment to Barbados. In 2003, he was appointed to the Lambeth Commission on Communion, contributing to the influential Windsor Report, which sought to address divisions within the worldwide Anglican Communion.

A theological conservative, Gomez opposed the ordination of non-celibate gay clergy and the blessing of same-sex unions, which he described as “aggressive revisionist theology.” Yet he consistently urged unity, encouraging dialogue through the framework of the Anglican Covenant.

Even in retirement, Archbishop Gomez remained active in church life. In 2022, the Diocese of The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands celebrated the 50th anniversary of his episcopal consecration with a week of events, during which he presided over a pontifical eucharist.

He is survived by his widow, Carol Gomez; children Damian, Dennis, Dominic, and Deborah; and 11 grandchildren.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, in a statement of condolence, remembered him as a “soft-spoken gentleman” whose presence left a lasting impression.

“[He] was a special person — from his voice, which you could easily identify in any audience, to his ever-pleasant personality and smiling face,” she said. “His warm smile and soft voice were not to be mistaken for weakness or fear. Even as a Bahamian priest transplanted to Barbados to lead a church that was beginning to assert its Barbadianness, he was not afraid to stamp his own authority.”