The recent surge in crime and violence has prompted members of the media and people in general to ask the question, ‘What is the Catholic Church planning to do about the present surge in crime?’

 I want to respond as honestly as I can on three levels:
1) The intervention of the Church in the recent past;
2) The tangible results that have emerged from the initiatives of the Church; and
3) The plan of the Church for the future.

I want to offer some observations on each of the first two categories and then use future columns to concentrate on the third category.

The recent initiatives of the Church

In 2003, the then Chair of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice, Leela Ramdeen, organised a series of consultations with the Judiciary, Police and Prison Officials, Private Sector Leaders and members of the IRO to discuss how to respond to the crime situation and how to introduce the concept of restorative justice to the public for serious consideration.

Those consultations led to many positive developments. One of the developments was the Walk for Peace and National Inter-religious Prayer Service in 2004.

The Standing Committees of the Commission for Social Justice also pursued a number of individual initiatives during the same time frame. The list is long but a few programmes deserve special mention: The Walk Tall Programme for Prison Ministry (Father Matthew d’Hereaux, Chair); The Youth at Risk Programme (Sister Arlene Greenidge OP, Chair) and The “Ask Why” Programme on cable television for education in social justice issues (Father Michael Moses, Commission Chair).

Tangible results of the initiatives

A number of positive results have emerged from the initiatives. The results have had an affect on crime and violence in some areas and among some groups in the Nation. I shall only mention three: 

1) The Community Intervention Transforming Youth Progamme (CITY).

This programme was a joint venture of the Social Justice Commission and the Holy Rosary/St Martin de Porres Pastoral Cluster located in the Gonzales. Father Jason Gordon was the Parish Priest.

It began in an area where personal trust was low and, due to violence, human need was high. There was personal danger for those who began the programme. However, in time, the personal experience of being together led to the experience of talking together and then to the experience of risking trust and working together.

The programme involved the police. It led to new patterns of community policing and to community participation in community planning.

The CITY programme partnered with the City of Port of Spain and the Canadian Institute of Planners in 2004 to form the Pride in Gonzales initiative.

In 2006, it received two awards:
1) The first award was a regional award from the Caribbean Police Commissioners for Community Policing;
2) The second award was  from the Olympic Committee. In his 2007 budget speech, the Prime Minister recognised the CITY Programme as an outstanding initiative for bringing about peace and recommended that other communities follow the model. Father Clyde Harvey is the present Parish Priest of the Pastoral Cluster and the Director of the CITY Programme.

2) The Anthony Pantin Reintegration Centre

The Restorative Justice Committee of the Social Justice Commission with Father Matthew D’Hereraux as Chair began the process of making the 2003/2005 Synod resolutions to establish a rehabilitation Centre for prisoners a reality.

The Reintegration Centre is based on the concept of restorative justice. It is linked to the present justice system which is punitive in nature. Restorative Justice not only focusses on punishment, it also asks how we restore the victim, the community and the offender.

A “Walk Tall” pilot programme is already operative at the Golden Grove Prison in Arouca. It is a 40-week programme and has the support of the Prison Authorities.

It is designed to address with the prisoners the issues of self, community, God and the social consequences of crime. The programme will serve to identify the prisoners who will become eligible for the Reintegration Centre.

The “Walk Tall” programme and the Anthony Pantin Reintegration Centre will not only give prisoners hope but will also confront the issue of recidivism. At present, 56% of the crimes committed in the nation are committed by repeat offenders. That statistic must be reduced.

A Reintegration Foundation is being established to fund the project. Property was purchased near the San Raphael Parish. On February 21, 2006, the ground-breaking ceremony took place. On February 1, 2007 the Trinidad and Tobago Reintegration Foundation will be formally launched.

3) The Smelter Controversy

Everyone is aware that the Catholic Commission for Social Justice has been involved in a very professional manner in the national discussion about smelters.

What many people may not know is that the present Chair of the Social Justice Commission, Father Michael Moses, and other members of the Commission made visits to the proposed sites in the south western peninsula, Union Village and Chatham, at the time of the most emotional meetings when verbal and physical abuse were mounting to a dangerous level. The Social Justice Commission played a crucial role in avoiding violence. 

Under the leadership of the Commission Chair, Father Moses, the Social Justice Commission involved the scientific community in the dialogue about the smelters and introduced consultation with the people into the issue of relocation.

The Commission has been publicly affirmed for its role by members of the scientific and academic communities and, most importantly, has earned the trust of the people.  

Conclusion

The conclusion from the first installment of my column on “Crime/Violence vs Values/Virtue” is quite clear:
 1) Positive steps have already been taken to reduce crime and violence by the Catholic Church; and
2) Obviously, more can and must be done to continue the process through the persevering efforts of committed, informed, skilled and zealous people. The approach of the Church has been structured quite deliberately to provide continuity of programming and succession planning for administrative personnel.

As Archbishop I am proud of what has been achieved by the Social Justice Commission and its standing committees. I affirm all those who have persevered from the first Synod in 2003 to the present. Their commitment and service to the process of making socially needed progress possible has been outstanding.

Too often their perseverance in pastoral ministry has been at great personal cost as the result of criticism and rejection. The archdiocese owes these men and women a debt of gratitude.

Next week I shall begin to look at the plans of the Archdiocese for the future.