Bahamas Christian Council President Bishop Delton Fernander, who said he saw firsthand the great devastation of Dominica said that he is still hopeful as he witnessed brotherly love during the tour of that hurricane ravished island.

Among the delegation that traveled with Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis to the island-state, Bishop Fernander said that as a country, The Bahamas demonstrated that they are citizens of the world.

“We saw great devastation, but we saw what it was to be brotherly love.

“I believe as a country we demonstrated today that we were citizens of the world.

“We showed up, we saw representation from the world, Canada, Palestine, from all around the world people were there to trying to lend a helping hand.

“We stepped up in a very real way, we saw the devastation, we spoke with the Prime Minister, we saw other Cabinet Ministers and there was a sense of ‘we’re glad you’re here; we’re glad that you are looking after us and you’re concerned about us’”, he said.

Bishop Fernander also stated that as a country, he was proud that The Bahamas could step up and lend a helping hand to the people of Dominica.

“I believe as a diaspora are setting a precedent as to how we will be taken care of if ever this were to happen to us.

“So, I think we are mighty proud as a nation today that we could have stepped out to be that kind of example of what we ought to do as CARICOM neighbors,” Bishop Fernander said.

He further stated that in all of the devastation of the small island, there was one thing that told him that there was still hope, in the picture of a cross still standing on a hill.

“Now from everything that was destroyed, there was a picture of the cross standing on one of the hill tops and it sent hope.

“I am the preacher; I was able to say God is still in control,” Bishop Fernander said.

As to his response of the criticisms made by Bahamians regarding Dr. Minnis’ plans to assist Dominican students, Bishop Fernander said that although everyone is free to voice their own opinion, it should not be done to destroy another.

“I just say that we are free to criticize and free to give our opinion, but we must do it in a, I believe, more appreciative manner that we all have opinions.

“If it gets personal and it gets denigrating, it does something that it was not meant to do.

“We are free to have our opinion, but we ought to do it in a place where we are getting better at it, rather than destroying each other,” Bishop Fernander said.

Other members of the delegation that visited Dominica on Monday included Prime Minister Minnis, Financial Services Trade and Industry and Immigration Minister Brent Symonette, Foreign Affairs Minister Darren Henfield, NEMA Director Captain Stephen Russell, and Bahamas Union of Teachers President Belinda Wilson