Council of Churches Endorses Church’s Senator Vote on Senate inquiry

Roosevelt Papouloute

The controversial ruling by Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin on Section Fifty-three remains in the headlines tonight. And this morning, the Belize Council of Churches met in an extended session to discuss a collective position on the decision, among other national issues.  The sit-down preceded a scheduled meeting this afternoon with Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who has said he won’t appeal the decision. It also provided an opportunity for Senator Ashley Rocke to explain why he decided not to vote in favor of a Senate Select Committee to investigate the irregularities at the Immigration Department, following the release of the Auditor General’s special audit.  Since the divisive vote was cast at Wednesday’s meeting of the Senate, the Baptist pastor has come under fire from sections of the religious community.  The National Evangelical Association of Belize, which is not a member of the Council of Churches, has requested his immediate resignation; so has the Roman Catholic Church.  Today, however, the legally recognized religious body threw its full support behind Senator Rocke.

Rev. Roosevelt Papouloute, President, Belize Council of Churches

“Well the meeting was to hear from him what transpired in the Senate so that we could be informed of what happened and see exactly what would be our position on the matter.”

Isani Cayetano

“And coming out of that meeting, where do you guys stand now, having heard the rationale behind the decision taken by Senator Rocke?”

Phillip Wright

Rev. Roosevelt Papouloute

“We want to make it strongly clear that the senator has our full support both for the vote that he gave in the Senate and the reason for which he voted in such a manner.”

Bishop Phillip Wright, Vice President, Belize Council of Churches

“And we would like to say that obviously, we believe that you will have a chance to interview him personally next, but what he explained to us and the reason maybe for some of the confusion is that he opted for an approach to the situation that he believes is more broad-based and will involve a larger section of those who can be involved in the process, as opposed to just restricted to the Senate or members of the Senate itself.  And I think that it’s a reasonable position to take in terms of seeking the truth behind some of the things in the report.”