Archbishop Robert Rivas dies

Archbishop Robert Rivas, Archbishop Emeritus of Castries, died in his sleep at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 27, 2026, the Antilles Episcopal Conference announced.

A Dominican priest, Rivas served as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Castries for 15 years. He was born in Trinidad and Tobago on June 7, 1946, and was ordained a priest in 1971. His previous roles included serving as the first bishop of Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, in 1990 and as the apostolic administrator of Bridgetown, Barbados.

St. Lucia Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre noted that Rivas served the people of St. Lucia and the Caribbean with compassion and dedication. The Diocese of St. John’s-Basseterre and the Via Christi Society also issued tributes to the deceased archbishop.