Haitian bishops call for end to violence: country in chaos!

Haitian bishops call for end to violence: country in chaos!

The situation in Haiti is dramatic: in an open letter, the Caribbean country's Catholic bishops are calling for an end to the violence that has plunged the country into a profound crisis. “There is no real life left in the country,” warned the Munich-based organization “Aid to the Church in Need,” which published the letter. The capital Port-au-Prince is largely inaccessible to aid deliveries, while schools and public life are paralyzed. The international community is concerned that there is no solution to the threat of armed gangs, and Archbishop Max Leroy Mesidor speaks of a “very serious turn” in the wave of violence that has increased in recent weeks. “We cannot hope to reap peace if we sow violence,” the bishops stressed, calling on all parts of society to take decisive action against violence.

Abductions of clergy

The climate of insecurity is intensifying as armed gangs increasingly take hostages to extort ransoms. According to recent reports, a group of six members of the Congregation of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus were kidnapped in Port-au-Prince. The attack occurred when the clergy tried to enter a colleague's building. According to local media, police have not yet released any information about the attackers or the condition of those abducted. This kidnapping is just the latest in a series of attacks on religious figures in Haiti that have been condemned as barbaric and heinous, while the bishops describe the current situation in the country as one of the worst crises in its history.

In addition, people are suffering from a dramatic worsening of the humanitarian crisis: According to the UN, almost half of the population, around 4.9 million people, do not have enough food to survive healthily. Just a few weeks earlier, Bishop Pierre Andre Dumas was the victim of a bomb attack in the capital. Haiti's political landscape has been divided since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021, and the border closed by neighboring Dominican Republic is further exacerbating the emergency. The United Nations has sought an international security mission, but implementation remains unclear while the population's lives continue to be characterized by extreme insecurity and hunger.