HAITI: Bishops’ plea for peace

Haitian bishops have issued a desperate appeal for an end to the rampant violence that has paralysed part of the country since March.

The ongoing fighting “has taken a serious turn” since early November, according to Archbishop Max Leroys Mésidor of Port-au-Prince, President of the Haitian Bishops’ Conference.

Archbishop Mésidor told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN): “Everyone is on their guard – we all feel threatened.”

The Haitian Catholic Bishops’ Conference released a statement calling on those in positions of power to help restore security.

The bishops wrote that “there is no real peace in the country,” adding that the capital Port-au-Prince is “paralysed” and  “Toussaint Louverture Airport is closed, cutting us off from the rest of the world”.

Within a period of four days earlier in November, more than 20,000 people in the Port-au-Prince region fled their homes and essential supply chains collapsed, according to reports from the United Nations.

The bishops wrote in their statement: “We cannot hope to reap peace by sowing violence.

“Peace is above all a gift of God, but it equally demands the efforts of all people of goodwill.”

They went on to write: “We appeal to those who are in charge of governing the city to act with determination to re-establish security and guarantee the protection of citizens, in line with their primary mission of serving the common good.”

“We also invite members of the government, members of civil society and protagonists from all sides, armed or unarmed, to recognise that it is time to resolve this problem of ongoing violence.

“Something must be done.”

Haiti – which is the poorest country in the western hemisphere – has been going through a deep political, social and economic crisis for years, with armed gangs having taken control of the capital.

Criminals have cut off the main transport routes between Port-au-Prince and the rest of the country, destroying livelihoods and depriving the population of basic services.

UNICEF estimates that more than 700,000 people – about half of them children – have been displaced within the country.

In 2024, ACN supported the Church in Haiti with up to 70 projects, such as training and subsistence aid for priests, religious and catechists, as well as funding for diocesan radio stations and solar panels for Church buildings.

With thanks to Sina Hartert