Haiti bishops’ conference makes urgent appeal to eradicate violence

Mar 22, 2024 at 1:59 pm

The Conference of Catholic Bishops of Haiti has made an urgent call for an end to widespread violence and the active pursuit of peace and national reconciliation in the midst of one of the country’s most serious crises.

In a statement issued on Monday (18) from their headquarters in Port-au-Prince, ten bishops denounced the murders, the settling of scores and the looting that have caused a profound humanitarian crisis. “The current situation fills us with pain and concern,” they said. “It is an urgent call for reflection and action.”

“This dream of a country without violence makes us raise our voices to ask that the acts that seek to reduce Haiti to ruins and ashes cease,” they said.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that between March 8 and 14, a total of 16,947 people left the capital, Port-au-Prince, due to an increase in armed attacks and widespread insecurity.

These people sought refuge in the provinces, especially in the departments of Gran Sur, which encompass Grand’Anse, Nippes, South and Southeast, facing the risk of traveling along gang-controlled routes. According to the IOM report, the southern region is already home to more than 116,000 people, most of whom fled the capital in recent months.

Adding to the security crisis is the political instability generated by the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry last week.

“We encourage the efforts of all sectors and living forces of the nation to find a solution to the current crisis and restore peace and security to all sons and daughters of the Haitian nation by providing the country with an inclusive, transitional form of government,” asked the conference of bishops.

The bishops’ conference said their mission does not allow them to actively participate in politics. Therefore, the statement said, they did not appoint “anyone to represent the Catholic Church on the Presidential Council or in any governmental structure”.

“May the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom we invoke in Haiti under the title of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, come to our aid and may, through her intercession, God relieve us and free us from evil”, concluded the episcopal conference.

Catholic Church in Latin America and the Caribbean calls for a “Continental Day of Prayer” for Haiti

Under the motto “All with Haiti”, the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (Celam), the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious (CLAR) and Cáritas América Latina called for a “Continental Day of Prayer” for the Haiti, scheduled for today (22).

In a joint statement, Celam, CLAR and Cáritas urged all parishes, congregations, institutes, organizations and ecclesial networks in Latin America and the Caribbean not to remain indifferent to the suffering of the Haitian people.

It was proposed that during this day Lenten practices be directed with this intention, in addition to making gestures, moments or community actions specific to each place, such as prayers at Mass, intentions in the rosary and community prayers.