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And while the leader of the opposition takes a dim view of that Prime Ministerial proposal – he also chastised the PM for calling out Senator Father Noel Leslie. At his press conference last week, the PM said that Father Leslie had acted on his own when he voted against the Petro Caribe loan motion – meaning he had acted without consulting the wider body of church leaders. Today the leader of the opposition defended Father Leslie's vote – and cautiously embraced the government initiative to co-sponsor and ecumenical chapel at the KHMH with Petrocaribe funds:..

Hon. Francis Fonseca - Leader of the Opposition

"My understanding is quite the contrary that in fact, Father Leslie did have a discussion on this matter at the council of churches - and that he voted no on the basis of that discussion. I don't know whether specific individuals voiced their views. I can't go into the specifics of that discussion. But my understanding is that he voted no on the basis of that discussion. I can say that this very morning I heard cannon Leroy Flowers confirm his support for the vote taken by Father Noel Leslie on behalf of the council of churches. So, I think it's disgraceful when our prime minister seeks to attack individuals and even attack the church - when they are not toeing his line and doing what he wants him to be doing. In terms of spending money on ecumenical centre on the grounds of the KHMH - our position has been very clear. We're not against the PetroCaribe projects, what we are against is the manner in which is being spent, the lack of accountability."

Belize Council of Churches and the Evangelical Association HAS supported government's decision to put 150 thousand dollars towards the chapel.