BISHOP ELLIS RELISHES ROLE AS POLITICAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NASSAU 002421

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2013
TAGS: BF PGOV PINR SCUL SOCI
SUBJECT: BISHOP ELLIS RELISHES ROLE AS POLITICAL
'ANNOINTER,' AND WITH GOOD REASON

REF: (A) NASSAU 1066 (B) NASSAU 2056

Classified By: Charge Kay Crawford for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)

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SUMMARY
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(1) (U) On December 2, Charge and Political Officer paid
courtesy call to hard-to-pin-down, charismatic Bishop Neil
Ellis. During the nearly two hour meeting, Ellis described
the enterprise his parish has become. He also outlined his
role as the local Dixville Notch, New Hampshire of Bahamian
politics -- the one visit that all aspiring politicians must
make in order to confirm their legitimacy. Ellis has come
far, from a humble background, mentored and supported by
prominent businessman Frankie Wilson, with whom he maintains
a close personal and business relationship. End Summary


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THOU DARE NOT CROSS THE RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP
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(2) (C) As reported ref. B, the conventional wisdom holds
that former Freedom National Movement (FNM) Prime Minister
Hubert Ingraham sealed his fate by displaying arrogance
towards the religious leadership. The electorate in The
Bahamas is devout, and the church leaders refused to remain
silent after the former PM had expressed views antithetical
to religious conservatives, such as welcoming to port a
cruise liner catering to gay clientele and advocating for
constitutional reform targeted toward improving women's
rights. Ellis continued along this line, claiming that
Ingraham is not religious and is definitely "not a man of
God," even if he does attend church. However, nor does Ellis
regard current Prime Minister Perry Christie as a "true man
of God," although he feels that the PM is trying to be
religious. Ellis then described a strange ritual (reported
similarly ref. A) whereby Christie sought a meeting with
Ellis over a several week period as he was gearing up his
election campaign. Ellis kept rebuffing the PM's request,
offering him only a 10 minute slot. Finally, however, Ellis
offered the PM the opportunity to travel with him on a
religious speaking tour in the U.S., promising that if the PM
attended three of his sermons, he would be available to
counsel the PM throughout the tour. Thus, the two men spent
many intense hours together, during which time Ellis looked
into the PM's soul and concluded that the PM has religious
inclinations, but is "not yet there." Though the PM is not
one of Ellis's regular parishioners, since the last election,
he attends from time to time, as do all but three cabinet
ministers.

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MOUNT TABOR BAPTIST CHURCH -- A TRULY REMARKABLE INSTITUTION
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(3) (U) Launched by a then very young Bishop Ellis from
scratch in the late 1980's, Mount Tabor is now a thriving
community of more than 7,000 members, including more than 500
who tithe. The church supports a wide range of missions and
scholarship programs in The Bahamas, in the United States,
and in Africa. The Church has a full-time staff of 27,
including two who manage its insurance and banking
businesses. During his adolescence, Bishop Ellis received
encouragement and financial support from maverick businessman
Frankie Wilson, with whom he lived in for 14 years. Wilson
is now a leader in the Bahamian insurance industry which
underwrites a branch in Ellis's parish. The church compound
also houses a cooperative bank. Both are exclusively for
church members. Ellis claims that his members pay the
guaranteed lowest premiums for insurance products in The
Bahamas.

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COMMENT
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(4) (U) Bishop Ellis is certainly a player in the local
political scene. He also very much enjoys life in the
limelight as he recalls visits with prominent local
politicians and local and international celebrities. He
knows how to weave names into discussions without crossing
the line into arrogance. While he and other religious
leaders continue to claim credit for Christie's dramatic
victory in the last election, this claim may be overstated.
Ingraham had been in power for 10 years, and given his
autocratic style, he had ruffled many feathers.
Nevertheless, in the current context, political leaders seem
to have learned their lessons as they increasingly pay homage
to religious leaders, such as Bishop Ellis.
WITAJEWSKI