Thurs. Dec. 5, 2024

To: Fr. Scott Giuliani, SOLT,
Chair of the RCCC

From: Editor, Amandala

Dear Fr. Scott,

Thanks for your contribution to the discourse in Amandala. Your concerns are noted and your input is much appreciated. Like many others, the above-named editorial you contested was written by Amandala columnist Colin Hyde, and I have invited him to address your concerns. His response follows:-

I apologize for the inaccuracy, and register my disappointment in your description of the lapse as hubris. If I were to boast, it definitely would NOT be about my “ability to write”; it would be that within the confines of the newspaper and what it stands for, and in the limited space of a single page, I doggedly pursue truths and perspectives which I try to present in a way that serves the good of our people and country.

I am an avid reader of The Reporter. The weekly column to which Father Scott Giuliani referred has been in print for quite some time. The column is a product of the Roman Catholic Constitutional Commission (RCCC). The priest explained that the column discusses the “inherent dignity of the person, common good, justice and love for all especially for those most in need”, and said that “the EOB is not even addressed.” I’m pretty sure it has discussed issues that are related to the EOB, and no, it’s not a weekly target there.

My primary objective, clearly, was to state the position of the local Catholic Church, and I did not rely on second-hand information. I would have been more accurate if I had written, “The Reporter regularly publishes articles by affiliates of the Catholic Church that discuss the dangers they see in the Bill, specifically in respect to the forwarding of the LGBT agenda.”

I proceed. Allow me to note, as a quick reference to the types of articles I alluded to, that The Reporter of October 20 published the two winning essays in a competition promoted by the RCCC, in collaboration with government and corporate sponsors.

Referring directly to the EOB, the young essayists drew from publications/pronouncements from the local Catholic Church. The winning essay stated: “…any proposed amendment that seeks to mislead and corrupt us by erasing the acknowledgment of God’s supremacy or the foundational natural law is unconstitutional and an unnatural subjugation that as free people we will not stand for”; and the writer of the second-place essay said, “the EOB and the Disabilities Bill are currently threatening freedom in Belize.”

I take exception to a number of comments in the letter, including the statement that “the author does not need to further add to the confusion.” In our society, many of us are struggling with this EOB, which, as it relates to the LGBT, is an extension of the battles over Section 53. The editorial said that the Catholic Church sees some dangers in the Bill, “specifically in respect to the forwarding of the LGBT agenda.” The priest said in his letter, “The EOB introduces many new terms with new definitions whose legal consequences are often not even understood by those who receive foreign funding to advocate for it.” Ouch!

In closing, I wholeheartedly endorse Father Giuliani’s prayer that we follow the lead of Pope Francis. Unfortunately, a considerable number of members of the Catholic Church, among them many elite, consider the brother a heretic and pray for the day when some new white smoke rises over the Vatican. I have said more than once in my column that I think Pope Francis is a great and special man, a blessing to us all.

Peace and love always,
Charles X Hyde, Editor