Bermuda's churches are embroiled in an unholy row over how to treat long-term residents.

The Roman Catholic Church issued a statement yesterday, calling for foreign workers to be given a "maximum stay'' before being allowed into Bermuda.

The Church appealed to all Christians to join a crusade in support of long-term residents who already consider Bermuda to be their permanent home.

But the head of Bermuda's AME Church refused to publicly sign up to the alliance when contacted by The Royal Gazette last night.

Rev. Malcolm Eve said: "I have no comment on that matter, whatsoever.'' Bishop of Bermuda Rt. Rev. Ewen Ratteray was off the Island and unavailable to comment on behalf of the Island's Anglicans last night.

But Canon James Francis said the Catholic call for cross-Christian support should only have come after a joint meeting between Church leaders.

He said he was also unsure of vital elements in the Catholic statement, released by St. Theresa's Rector Rev. Glen Baptiste.

Rev. Baptiste said all Christian churchgoers needed to be "politically responsible during this election year''.

He defended the Church's right to get involved in politics, saying the scriptures showed Jesus's teachings opposed social injustice.

And he said problems began when long-term residents were allowed to stay so long that they felt they could assume Bermuda was their permanent home.

Now Bermuda needs to impose a "maximum stay'' on future foreign workers to avoid these "subliminal messages'', he added.

Churches and long-term residents But Canon Francis said the Roman Catholic position on long-term residents was still unclear.

"I believe that Rev. Baptiste's intentions are honourable,'' he said. "But to be really effective, he and his fellow priests should have hammered out a proper statement of faith from the Church.

"To call for cross-denominational support, they need to pinpoint exactly what they want Christians to do.

"The other churches should have been consulted before they were asked to give support. You can't just do this and say support us.

"I also don't think there's a subliminal message going on at this point. I think that's Rev. Baptiste's opinion.

"It's fairly clear when people come to Bermuda to work that they are not to see it as a long-term home.'' Rev. Baptiste's statement said: "I view it as a social sin for us to allow migrant workers and their families to stay and reside seemingly indefinitely for 25 or 30-plus years and then suggest to them that they or their Bermuda-born children have no rights.

"The cycle must be broken. Migrant workers with families, migrant workers raising families here must have a maximum length of stay, so as not to communicate the subliminal message that they can assume this Island as their home.

"We cannot accommodate everyone. However, we have a moral responsibility to those long-term residents whom we have permitted to stay and who have been with us through the thick and the thin, through the good and the bad and who have made positive contributions to our community.'' Around 1,200 non-Bermudians who have lived on the Island for 20 years are now being allowed permanent residence and employment without a work permit.

The UBP are planning a white paper for the autumn, should they win the General Election.