Transport Minister Daryl Vaz sprinkes white rum on a rural school bus during an event on Wednesday to bless the vehicles on Wednesday.
The Jamaica Council of Churches (JCC) is distancing itself from a move by Transport Minister Daryl Vaz to use white rum during an event on Wednesday to bless the buses assigned to the government's rural school bus system.
The organisation says while it is aware of the religious cultural significance of such an act, it does not support the ritual, arguing that it falls outside of Christian principles.
It is not uncommon as part of Jamaica's African ancestry and religious practices for some Jamaicans to use white rum as a mark of blessing during some events.
JCC outlined that its president, Bishop Christine Gooden Benguche and other members of the clergy participated in the formal blessing ceremony, during which prayers were offered for the dedication of the buses using holy water to symbolically bless them.
It said they subsequently left the event as their duties had ended.
The JCC said it was afterwards that it became aware of images showing Minister Vaz using white rum as a ritual at the event.
The organisation said while it appreciates Jamaica's rich and diverse culture in general, its understanding of the country's historical retentions in particular, it does not embrace these practices in its Christian liturgy.
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