The Belize Council of Churches has come out in favour of going to the International Court of Justice and is offering prayers for a settlement of the dispute. After carefully examining the evidence, and the pros and cons, the Council issued a statement saying that “a favourable vote on April tenth, 2019 to submit the […]
The joy of Christmas is being able to spend time with family and friends. The spirit of the season is rooted in the celebration of the birth of Christ, a time of year when caring and sharing is at the heart of Yuletide. Earlier today, Bishop Phillip Wright of the Anglican Diocese shared with us […]
Belize’s men of faith are meeting with regional authorities as part of the plan to end HIV/AIDS as a chronic disease in the Caribbean by 2030. Today there was a consultation hosted at the Radisson involving discussions of the churches’ role in reaching out to the affected in their congregations and communities. The president of […]
The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) describes its ambitious strategy for ending HIV/AIDS in about twelve years as “test, treat and defeat.” Director Dereck Springer says the goal is for ninety percent of those living with HIV to know their status; ninety percent of HIV-positive persons to begin treatment; and ninety percent of those being […]
The Christian tradition of Easter stems from the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, later called Jesus Christ. In a time when some have openly questioned their faith and the faith of a nation described in the Constitution as Christian or at least God-fearing, what sacrifices are we prepared to make for our neighbors […]
Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day, but also, though only coincidentally, today is Ash Wednesday. It marks the official start of the season of Lent, which runs to Easter time which this year falls at the end of March. It is a day of penitence and confession, marked, literally, by Christians attending church and receiving a cross […]
As important at this time of the year as the things we eat and do are our reflections on the legend of the Christ Child and his entry into the world. Whether you believe or not, the importance of Christmas is more than just a holiday. Anglican Bishop Philip Wright told us that Christ came […]
While government Ministers met in cabinet over at Independence Plaza a small group of protestors were opposing the recently passed marijuana legislation to decriminalize possession of less than ten grams of cannabis. The argument advanced by the National Evangelical Association of Belize is that the small amount will cause the decay of the moral fabric […]
The religious community continues to sound off on the issue of marijuana use and decriminalization. Despite having lost ground with the government in respect of its protest to the recent passage of an associated law, the Council of Churches remains vocal in its objection. This morning, Pastor Lance Lewis, the President of the National Evangelical […]
On Friday, Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte called into question the moral authority of the church on the issue of marijuana since it has been accused, and in some instances found guilty, of a number of atrocities. Nonetheless, its representatives firmly believe that within a democratic society they ought to be able to enjoy the freedom […]
On Friday, Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte took square aim at the church and fired off a salvo of very harsh criticisms, chiding the religious community for its tardy objection to the marijuana law. He even went a step further to challenge the church’s moral authority on matters having to do with individual vices. Well, the […]
This week at its press conference, the National Evangelical Association of Belize spent much of its time condemning the plan to introduce decriminalization of up to ten grams of marijuana on private property, including expungement of criminal records. But it raised a total of six concerns about issues of family values that it feels have […]
But Minister of Education Patrick Faber says that the ministry not allowing Christian values to be taught within the classrooms is far from the truth. In fact, it is encouraged in all church-state schools. Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister “The government has never intervened in terms of the religious instruction that churches give to […]
The September celebrations are off to a start, but tonight the Belize Council of Churches is not pleased that the Tenth Day parade will be held on Sunday, the tenth of September. In a release issued today the Council says that while it recognizes that the national holiday of the Battle of Saint George’s Caye […]
Christian music fans and evangelicals are awaiting the climax of the week-long Festival of Hope on Saturday at B.T.L. Park in Belize City. After several days of evangelism countrywide, the park will host a free all-day concert featuring the sounds of Papa San, Christafari, Evan Craft and others along with many activities for the young […]
The recent fracture within the self-styled “Morality Commission” has seen the departure of Bishop Phillip Wright and Reverend Roosevelt Papouloute, two relatively powerful church leaders who sat on the government-helmed working group. That task force was formed in the wake of a Supreme Court decision on the controversial Section Fifty-three challenge which was filed and […]
This week, the Church-State Commission suffered a fracture with the withdrawal of Reverend Roosevelt Papouloute, president of the Belize Council of Churches, and Bishop Philip Wright of the Anglican Diocese, citing inability to reach consensus with fellow representatives from the Catholic and Evangelical communities. In a statement, the National Evangelical Association of Belize, one of […]
While the rate has slowed down of late, especially in Belize City, crime and especially murder remains an issue at the forefront of the national consciousness. Valiant efforts are being made by members of the gang element, especially on Southside, to reduce friction leading to deadly disputes and taking advantage of means of mediation and […]
A rift in the membership of the Church-State Commission will result in separate reports being presented to the Government of Belize. The Commission was formed in the wake of the August, 2016 ruling by Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin which allows for consenting adults to engage in certain sexual acts previously deemed unnatural in privacy. Leaders […]
Reverend Papouloute expects that the report of the Council of Churches will be produced once all its executive members are together in a few weeks’ time. But despite the separate reports being made, the relationship between the members of the Council, he expects, will survive this temporary rift. Like his colleague Anglican Bishop Philip Wright, […]
A partial appeal of Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin’s historic decision on Section Fifty-three of the Criminal Code of Belize is set for hearing at the Belize Court of Appeal. However, only the Roman Catholic Diocese and the Attorney General in part will be appealing. The Belize Council of Churches; Belize Association of Evangelical Churches; and […]
Senator for the Churches, Ashley Rocke, has told News Five that he believes he has seen enough of the public testimony for the Senate Special Select Committee. He also opined that public officers are as much to blame as ministers of government for the breakdown in services at the Immigration Department. We spoke to two […]
In the wake of the momentous August 2016 decision by Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin to overturn Section fifty-three of the Criminal Code, godly Belizeans raised outrage at what they perceived as a nation turning away from Christian morality. Church leaders from both traditional and evangelical churches united to present their positions to government under the […]
We asked Bishop Wright whether the fundamental differences between the two sides will hurt the Commission, and whether it was all a knee-jerk reaction in the wake of the Section Fifty-three case which is now being partially appealed by the Government. The Belize Council of Churches still has to produce a final position, and so […]
Muslims across the world are preparing for Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, in which they fast during the daylight hours from dawn to sunset. Ramadan is also the month during which the Quran was revealed and sent down to the lowest heaven, consequently being prepared for revelation by Jibreel to the Prophet […]
