THE clergy and laity of the Roman Catholic Church yesterday met with a group of planning and development professionals to examine options for lessening the likely impacts of the planned Halls of Justice (HOJ) project on the operations of the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on Micoud Street in Castries.
The closed consultation, held at the Pastoral Centre in Marisule, followed meetings between Church officials and developer representatives. Two of these meetings included the Prime Minister. In these meetings, Church officials shared their concerns about various aspects of the HOJ project, including the scale, risks to the structural integrity of the Cathedral and adverse long-term aesthetic impact on the Cathedral as a landmark.
In setting the context for the consultation, Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Saint Lucia, His Grace, Gabriel Malzaire noted that while the meetings with the developer and the Prime Minister were extremely useful, it was felt that the Church should engage with professionals to get a better understanding of what the project will mean for the future operations of the Church.
“We are deeply grateful to Prime Minister Pierre for brokering the meetings we have had with the developer, which have given us a lay understanding of the project. During the last of these meetings, the developer proposed certain changes to the project, which we felt were steps in the right direction. However, these changes did not allay our deep concerns about the project.” He continued: “It’s very important to indicate that as a religious institution that is about justice and peace, the Church accepts the need for a suitable building to enable the judiciary to administer justice in Saint Lucia.”
“For us, the issue is primarily about the scale of the project and the negative impacts it may have on the Church’s operations. We feel it would be irresponsible of us if as Church leaders, we did not ensure that we had a clear understanding of any possible negatives and how they may be reduced.” He noted further, “Our consultation next week enables us to do what we would have done if we were consulted at the outset of the design of the project. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen and so we are forced to play ‘catch up’ and share our concerns as quickly and as assertively as we can.”
His Grace concluded, “This consultation with Clergy, Religious, Parish Lay leaders, the Christian Council, and the planning and development professionals will guide the Catholic Church in its ongoing discussions with the developers for the Halls of Justice project.”