“I Make No Apologies”: Dominica’s Prime Minister Defends Giving $500,000 of Public Money to a Cathedral

• Dominica’s government gave $500,000 towards restoring the Roseau Catholic Cathedral
• Critics questioned the timing, the priorities and the separation of church and state
• Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said the gift came from the Lord, not from him
• An evangelical pastor called the idea of state reward for church work misguided

Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit hit back at critics in June 2014 over a $500,000 government contribution to the restoration of the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Roseau. Dominica News Online reported on 16 June 2014 that he addressed the controversy while speaking at the feast of St Anthony in Toucarie.

“I make no apologies for giving the money to the Bishop. I carry out instructions from above and it is not me who gave the church but the Lord who gave the church the money,” Skerrit said. He went further: “So those of us who want to criticize a good deed, are not criticizing me but is criticizing the Lord so be very careful what we criticize.” He framed the donation as recognition of the church’s historic contribution to the country.

The criticism had come from several directions. Some questioned the timing, with general elections due in 2015. Others argued that the money should have gone to the hospital, roads and other public infrastructure, or that government funds should not support a particular religion, and noted that only the Catholic Church had received such help.

Among the critics was evangelical pastor Gerald Benjamin. He said the Catholic Church’s contribution to the country was “certainly very commendable and cannot go unnoticed,” but that “the notion that the church deserving any help on that basis from the state is not only very misguided but in itself represents a very erroneous theological concept.” According to the report, the cathedral renovation was expected to cost about $8 million, and roughly $5 million had already been raised before the government’s contribution.

The row shows how quickly public money for church buildings becomes a political question. Historic cathedrals are national landmarks and often tourist attractions, which gives governments a reason to help, but a grant to one denomination inevitably invites questions from others and from taxpayers.

Jamaica has had the same debate about whether taxpayers should fund church repairs. The Dominica episode suggests a better path: where state money goes into a church building, the basis should be clear and consistent, such as heritage status, public use as a shelter or tourism value, and open to any denomination that qualifies. That protects both the public purse and the churches themselves from the charge that support depends on political favour.

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