The Barbados Christian Council (BCC) plans to dialogue with the government and non-governmental organisations in late August on ways to combat rising crime.

Msgr Blackett. Photo: www.nationnews.com

The Council’s statement, signed by its chairman Msgr Vincent Blackett, followed an early August statement from Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite which called on Churches to get involved.

“I am particularly calling on the Church to not only speak out, but also become active in our country, as I am convinced that our moral decay has led us to this chapter in our history.” AG Braithwaite’s statement was issued days after a spate of violent robberies and murders.

The Council said it has noted “with great concern the recent escalation in crime” and “we have heard the cry of many victims as they come to the church seeking support and asking that a stop be put to the criminal activities that are causing great fear and anxiety amongst peaceful law abiding citizens and visitors to our shores.”

“As Christians our mission is to promote the dignity of the human person and we therefore see all activities especially the taking of the life of another person as the violation of the God given dignity of that person and we condemn in the strongest way such sinful acts” the BCC said. “We abhor what has been happening in our society in recent times where some people have been moving around in packs terrorising other people especially the most vulnerable.”

The BCC said the State has a duty to protect citizens and ensure “justice is done to the victims of such heinous crimes”.

It noted however that there have been a number of activities “that have been designed to lure people away from the Church and when we speak about it the Church is projected as out of touch with the real world. The time has come for us to support each other through meaningful dialogue.”

The BCC identified two factors contributing to the violence: family life in crisis, and the economic situation.

“There are many dysfunctional families in the society and every effort must be made to remedy this situation. The Church sees the family as the foundation of the society and if family life is in crisis then the society is going to be in crisis.

“We are also aware of the economic situation that we find ourselves in and are worried about the effect this is having upon the lives of the people of our nation and especially the poor and young people many of whom are in search of gainful employment.
“The economic problem is an international one over which we have little control and therefore we must show concern for the less fortunate members of the society. This is the time when we as Christians must heed the Lord’s command to love our neighbour and this we must do in practical ways.”

The statement ended with a call for Barbadians to “pray for peace in the nation and to organise days of prayer in your communities”.