Bermuda?s Roman Catholic Cathedral has locked its doors during daytime over growing concerns about people seen lingering in the dark interior.

And on the first day the new closure hours applied St. Theresa?s Cathedral, on Cedar Avenue, was broken into during the night and money stolen.

It is a sad sign of the times, according to Bishop Robert Kurtz who views the move as a regrettable step as it means potential visitors and tourists wishing to see inside the cathedral will now be unable to unless they arrive when there are church staff on duty.

?We?ve been having a series of burglaries and break-ins at the cathedral for some time. ?On Monday night we were broken into, the door to the sacristy was smashed and the door to the youth ministry room was broken down and a sum of money was taken from there,? he said.

?We are in an area that has made us the target for a lot of break-ins. Our cathedral is rather dark and if it?s open during the day some people may be get hurt because it is no longer a safe place and we can?t afford to have security.?

It has been decided to lock the doors during weekdays, except for morning Mass. At weekends the cathedral will be open when there are church staff on duty between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Explaining the reason for the changes, Bishop Kurtz said: ?It is a very sad situation. We are looking at the possibility of keeping a portion of the church open.

?It seems we are now living in a time where there needs to be surveillance cameras. We would love to keep the cathedral open but you don?t know who is going to wander in. ?During the day we have had people coming to use the church as a place to hang-out.

?We are in a difficult section of the city and are suffering because of a few people making it difficult for the rest of society.?

The decision was discussed with church members at the weekend. Bishop Kurtz added: ?We hope this will not be a practice in place forever. I hope we can find some kind of security.?