Up Front
Church versus State
Pastor Al Ebanks (left), Rev. Dee DeeHaines (right)
Three national issues currently being debatedin the Cayman Islands have placed the local church community "ina situation of conflict" with Government, prompting the interventionof the Cayman Ministers' Association (CMA).
This has arisen, according to Pastor Al Ebanks, of the Agape FamilyWorship Centre, "given the proposals and laws in the last12 months."
He was referring to three issues -- one a statement by the Ministerof Tourism, the Hon. McKeeva Bush at a press conference on 21stDecember, that he was inclined to lift the Sunday and holidaycruise ship ban. "It is a policy, that I believe is hypocritical.The industry has lost millions and our government has lost a tremendousamount of revenue from that policy," Mr. Bush said at thetime.
Mr. Bush, along with local tourism and other government officials,was meeting with representatives of the Florida Caribbean CruiseAssociation.
The second matter related to the UK Government's Order in Councildecriminalising homosexual acts between consenting adults in private.This came into effect in the Cayman islands and four other CaribbeanBritish Overseas terrritories on 1st January.
The third issue cited by Pastor Al was the Grand Court case involvingRev. Dee Dee Haines, pastor of John Gray Memorial Church, in WestBay, who has been called to give evidence in voir dire or in camera(closed session) in front of Mr. Justice Alexander Henderson,in the trial of Kurt F. Ebanks, who along with Brian R. Powellis on trial for the murder of taxi driver, Curtis Seymour. Bothmen deny the charge.
Attorney for Rev. Haines, Mr. Ross McDonough, has pointed outthat the matter raises the question of privilege. One of the accused,Ebanks, he said had visited her at the church, and she had toldhim that anything he told her would be confidential.
"We've always faced issues over which government and thechurch have not been in an agreement," noted pastor Al, whoon Wednesday, 10th January was elected Chairman of the CMA. "Itis our hope we can disagree and yet still have a cordial relationbetween the government and church community."
He added that, "it is the Church's responsibility to lookafter the welfare of the community in the best way we know how."
Following Mr. Bush's announcement, the CMA wrote to the minister,requesting that he reconsider the decision and requesting a meetingto discuss the matter.
"The Association is on record as having expressed in a letterof the 30th August 1999 to the former Minister of Tourism 'oursupport and thanks for the action of not issuing licences forvisits on Sundays and the Holy Days concerned, which we considerto be in agreement with the Christian mind of the community andsupportive of the intentions of its laws'," stated the letter,signed by CMA Secretary, the Rev. Nicholas Sykes.
The CMA on Tuesday, 9th November met with the Tourism Minister,in what Pastor Al described as "an open and cordial"exchange. "We trust that our concerns will be taken intoconsideration," he said.
According to Pastor Al, lifting of the Sunday ban will have adverseconsequences for the islands' social fabric. "Traditionallywe in the Cayman Islands have always observed Sunday. The communityhas observed it as the Lord's Day," he stated, adding thatfrom a legal standpoint it is the so noted on the books. "Itis easier to maintain something that is there than it is to institutesomething else," he said.
However, Cayman Net News was unable to get any comment from theHon. McKeeva Bush on the recent meeting to see if there had beenany changes of government attitude in cruise ship visiting Caymanon Sunday.
Regarding Rev. Haines, the CMA held a meeting held on Wednesday,10th January 10, following which it issued a statement.
"We considered the current matters relating to the Courtsand the Rev.'d Dee Dee Haines. We recognise the serious implicationsfor both the execution of law and the effective practice of thepastoral ministry within the Cayman Islands," it read.
"We are committed to the proper administration of justicein the community. We support the principle of confidentialityin the practice of pastoral ministry and we support the Rev'd.Dee Dee Haines, in her stance to live out her convictions,"the statement continued.
Speaking to Cayman Net News, Pastor Al noted that it was his understandingthat "there are no laws here and in the United Kingdom dealingwith the matter of privilege of the clergy." This, he said,'brings into question whether or not we can conduct our ministrywith any kind of integrity and presents a dilemma for our abilityto minister in confidence." He added that any one offeringcounselling will face the same problem.
"It will be the position of the Cayman Minister's Associationthat a law should be in place to address this matter and we willbe making that proposal to the government," he stressed.
On the question of the Order in Council relating to the decriminalizationof the homosexual acts in private between adults, Pastor Al saidthat the CMA stands by its previous statements opposing the action.
"It is the position of the Cayman Islands Minister Associationin regards to repeal of the homosexuality law that it is wrongand it should not have been done. It violates God's word. Plusthis did not come from a mandate from the Cayman people. To havethe British Government impose this on us is a situation that ismost unfortunate and we do not agree," he said.