Haiti is currently experiencing tremendous chaos, forcing part of the population to flee their homes to survive the violence of criminal gangs. Poverty, hunger, and the lack of security even in basic daily activities are ruining an already poor and abandoned country. Meanwhile, Catholic believers are preparing to celebrate, to the best of their ability, the country’s patron saint: Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
Scala News offers the testimony of one of our missionaries who lives and evangelizes in this poor but religious country.
In the midst of this Jubilee Year dedicated to Hope, it is deeply saddening to see how an entire nation is sinking into despair, its population caught between the indifference of its government, the incessant violence of criminal gangs, and the indifference of the international community. Haiti, the first independent Black republic in history, once considered the ” Pearl of the Antilles,” is sinking deeper into chaos and further alienating itself from the unity of nations. This situation is causing disenchantment, despair, and resignation in the country.
Indeed, having come to power more than a year ago and without any popular legitimacy, the Transitional Presidential Council currently led by Mr. Fritz Alphonse Jean and his government, headed by Mr. Alix Didier FILS-AIME, are unable to join hands to pull the country out of the abyss, because their personal and partisan ambitions overshadow the cries of a people on their knees.
In this superheated situation characterized by instability that is Port-au-Prince and its surrounding areas, we are witnessing a worrying increase in large-scale internal population displacement on a daily basis. This widespread violence includes sexual violence, kidnappings, looting, roadblocks, as well as a growing number of attacks on hospitals, schools, and other essential social infrastructure.
However, the suffering and pain of the Haitian people are also those of the Church in Haiti. Because like the people, the local Church is losing many of its schools, parishes, and hospitals, and some of its members are even being kidnapped and murdered.
Despite the complexity of the situation, as a Church, we continue to encourage the population not to despair or become discouraged. It is never too late. It is time for a national awakening to save the country from all the evils that have plagued it for decades.
Therefore, out of our religious and moral responsibility, we continue to call for an end to the violence to begin a new era in the country. This is why we once again call on everyone, in particular:
Ø To the State Authorities: We invite them to show patriotism, putting aside your egos and working for the interests of all instead of serving your own interests and those of your political parties. Restore order and peace.
Ø To the international community: instead of isolating us, please fulfil your promises and commitments to help the country emerge from this spiral of violence.
Ø To the criminal groups that kill, loot, and rape; for the love of God, lay down your weapons. This violence leads nowhere. “Please remember that with war, everything is lost! Today your people long for a better future, one that requires reconciliation and peace.” (Address of the Holy Father Francis during the spiritual retreat of the leaders of South Sudan at the Vatican, April 11, 2019).
Ø We invite the media to combat disinformation and polarization. They do not incite war, nor incite feelings of hatred or hostility, nor invite violence or bloodshed. In other words, we invite them to “disarm communication, purify it of aggression.” (Message of Pope Francis for the 59th World Communications Day, Rome, St. John Lateran, January 24, 2025).
Ø To all those experiencing this wave of violence firsthand, do not let your hope be stolen, which can only help you dream of a better future. As Pope Francis stated in his message for the 53rd World Day of Peace: “The future is a gift to overcome the errors of the past and to build new paths of peace.”
As the solemnity of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Patroness of our country, approaches, let us pray for her intercession so that we may obtain the peace and reconciliation we so desire.
Fr. Renold ANTOINE, C.Ss.R.
Redemptorists in Haiti
Next September 2025 the Redemptorists will celebrate 96 years of mission in Haiti.
Since 1929, the Redemptorist Missionaries have carried the message of love, hope, and redemption to every corner of the country, working tirelessly to serve the neediest communities.
