Message from the Catholic Bishops of Haiti (CEH)

Beloved brothers and sisters,

1. Faithful to our mission to accompany the People of God, to enlighten men and women of good will, and to be in solidarity with all our compatriots, especially those who are suffering, we, the Catholic Bishops of Haiti, consider it essential to fix the position of the Church in the current situation of the country, a situation of extreme distress: following Christ, the Church is always on the side of law, truth, justice and respect of life and human dignity. This is our steadfast and unalterable position, whatever the circumstances. However, although this is clear and unmistakable, we can add two observations:

2. The President of the Republic has applied the electoral law and the constitution to deputies, senators and mayors in previous years. He thus affirmed the unity of the law for all elected officials, including himself, thus proclaiming that the law is one for all. It seems to us that everyone agrees that no one is above the law and the constitution in the country. This first observation made, no literature and no legal justification are necessary. Everyone wants Haiti to be a rule of law.

3. Here is the second observation: the country is on the verge of explosion; the daily life of the people is death, assassinations, impunity, insecurity. Discontent is everywhere, in almost all areas. Many angry topics, such as: how to establish a Provisional Electoral Council, how to write another constitution, etc. So it's not just the ravages of kidnapping that make the country totally unlivable. Should we accept or tolerate this?

4. At the heart of this recurring socio-political and economic crisis, fueled by the poison of hatred and mistrust, it is preferable to seek and find consensus on any thorny matter; it must be built through social and institutional dialogue to avoid disaster. “Some try to flee reality,” Pope Francis tells us, “by taking refuge in their separate worlds, others confront it using destructive violence. However, "between selfish indifference and violent protest there is an always possible option: dialogue" (Fratelli Tutti # 199). It is only the bridge of consensus that can help the different actors to avoid on either side the whole of Haiti from going further into the bottom of the abyss.

5. We ask all our Haitian brothers and sisters to show discipline, reason and wisdom in the search for the best interests of the nation. To those who have the mission of watching over lives and property, ensuring the safety of all and causing death squads to put aside their weapons so that kidnapping and insecurity are forever banished on earth from Haiti. As Pope Francis reminds us, there is no end point to building social peace in a country. Rather, this is "a relentless task that requires

everyone's commitment ... May this effort scare us away from any temptation for revenge and the search for only specific and short-term interests "(Fratelli Tutti # 232).

6. We invite you to welcome this message as the incessant accompaniment of our Church and the response of the CEH to one or another political party or group which expects from it “its good offices” in numerous worthy initiatives. of interest. By wishing that the Haitian patriots involved in the public affairs of the country are even more worthy of their ancestors, by calling on them to get down to work quickly and fearlessly, we renew our love for the common homeland. We ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten the protagonists of the crisis, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help, patron saint of Haiti, to intercede for us with her divine Son, Jesus Christ, Light of the nations.

Given at the headquarters of the CEH, in Lilavois, on February 2, 2021.

Mgr. Launay SATURNE
♝ Archevêque du Cap-Haitien
≡ Président de la CEH
…
Mgr. Pierre André DUMAS
♝ Évêque d’Anse-à-Veau/Miragoâne
≡ Vice-Président de la CEH
…
Mgr. Joseph Gontrand DECOSTE, SJ
♝ Évêque de Jérémie
≡ Secrétaire-général de la CEH
..
Mgr. Marie Erick Glandas TOUSSAINT
♝ Évêque de Jacmel
≡ Économe de la CEH
..
Cardinal Chibly LANGLOIS
♝ Évêque des Cayes
…
Mgr. Quesnel ALPHONSE, SMM
♝ Évêque de Fort-Liberté
…
Mgr. Max Leroy MESIDOR
♝ Archevêque de Port-au-Prince
…
Mgr. Yves Marie PEAN, CSC
♝ Évêque des Gonaives
…Mgr. Désinord JEAN
♝ Évêque de Hinche
…
Mgr. Charles Peters BARTHELUS
♝ Évêque de Port-de-Paix
…
Mgr. Ducange SYLVAIN, SDB
♝ Évêque Auxiliaire de Port-au-Prince
…
Mgr. Pierre Antoine PAULO, OMI
♝ Évêque Emérite de Port-de-Paix
…
Mgr. Louis N. KEBREAU, SDB
♝ Archevêque Emérite du Cap-Haitien
…
Mgr. Frantz COLIMON, SMM
♝ Évêque Emérite de Port-de-Paix
…
Mgr. Willy ROMELUS
♝ Évêque Emérite de Jérémie
…
Mgr. Jean Alix VERRIER
♝ Évêque Emérite des Cayes
…
Mgr. Joseph LAFONTANT
♝ Évêque Auxiliaire Emérite de Port-au-Prince