Baseless claims, says Canon Isaacs

Diocesan Administrator, Canon Wayne Isaacs, is defending the local Anglican Church against what he has termed as baseless, irrational and outrageous claims.

In a statement released to the media, Canon Isaacs dismissed the claims as he called on the author and publisher of those statements, in the absence of any proof in support of the allegations, to retract the statements. He made the point while noting that such statements made during the last week, regarding the management and administration of the finances of the Church, are indeed likely to cast a negative light on the Diocesan staff and the members of the various committees, organs and individuals.

“They [statements] have had the effect of tarnishing the integrity of those attacked and offended and damaging their reputations in the eyes of the public,” he lamented.

Seeking to set the record straight, the Diocesan Administrator made it clear that contrary to what may have been suggested, there are no irregularities in the Church’s finances. In the statement, Canon Isaacs said that the Church’s recordkeeping is above board, explaining that its annual Financial Statements, together with notes, are audited in accordance with international standards on auditing.

“The Canons and Regulations of the Diocese require that these Audited Financial Statements are tabled at our Annual Synod where members of Synod, both Clergy and Laity, debate and approve such statements. In addition, the auditors provide a management letter to the Synod every year in respect of such statements. To date, the Diocesan Synod of Barbados has received unqualified reports from our Auditors and the management letters to Synod have not highlighted any infelicities,” he indicated.

He noted too that the governance structure of the Diocese provides for the election of a Chairman of Finance, four lay persons and two clergy persons, and they along with the Archdeacon and four Rural Deans provide the financial oversight for the Diocese. He went on to say that the Committee reports monthly to the Synod Council and at the Annual Diocesan Synod. Bolstering his point of adhering to best practices, Isaacs disclosed that the Synod has over the years selected professional accountants to serve on the Finance Committee. In its current composition, he revealed that the Committee has three professional accountants and one attorney-at-law, plus one of the Clergy representatives also has an extensive background in banking.

Isaacs stated that on top of all that, the Regulations of the Diocese provide for a Synod Council, which gives another mechanism for ensuring “financial astuteness”. That Council, he explained, receives reports from the Finance Committee for inspection before the spending of any funds is approved.

“The tiered system of review, oversight, management, control and administration is entrusted to skilled, respectable, highly trained professionals and lay persons whose integrity is beyond reproach. The functioning of these persons has never been challenged or proven to be irregular or found in any way infelicitous,” the Diocesan Administrator affirmed.