Haiti: "We must overcome our fear and bestow hope"
30/07/2024, Author: Clodagh Gallagher
Plagued for months by gangs that plunder, kidnap and terrorise the population, Haiti continues to fight every day for its survival. In the midst of this terrible situation, the Church in the country remains a beacon of hope, says Fr Baudelarie Martial, a Haitian priest from the Congregation of the Holy Cross.
Father Martial recently visited ACN’s international headquarters. In 2023, with financial support totalling €828,000, ACN funded 55 projects in the Church in Haiti, including but not limited to projects which funded the formation of future priests; helped female religious orders to survive and remain in the country through subsistence aid; ensured Mass stipends for priests. For many years, ACN has been supporting CIFORs formation programmes in Haiti, which provide young religious men and women with training adapted to the needs of consecrated life.
During his visit, Fr Martial talked about the precarious conditions in Haiti, with 80% of the country’s capital of Port-au-Prince being controlled by gangs, and all main roads also being under gang control, meaning that citizens have very little security. In addition, the poverty is inconceivable. Fr shares that “people are hungry and there is a shortage of medication. Many doctors have been kidnapped. Some schools are still closed, teachers make very little money, there is no tourism, and the major tourist compound of Labadee, which is in the north, is closed. The agricultural sector faces great difficulties, for example the rice paddies of the Artibonito region were taken by gangs armed with high calibre weapons. In general, the situation in the country in terms of safety is very complicated, and, to make it worse, we are getting poorer by the day”.
Catechesis training for 138 nursery school teachers of the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, across 11 schools in 8 departments.
Having just marked the third anniversary of the murder of President Jovenel Moïse, Haiti looks hopefully towards a potential period of constitutional reform, followed by an electoral process, and after that, free, honest, and democratic elections. According to the agreement that allowed for the forming of the current government, the Transitional Presidential Council has two years to organise elections, but without physical security in the country through the necessary the curbing of gang violence, this is not an imminent possibility. At the moment, the priority for all Haitians is security and putting food on the table.
The Church, which is a particular target for gang violence, is a source of hope and consolation for many Haitians. Fr Martial details the dual suffering and strength of the Church in Haiti, sharing his impression that there is an “organised campaign” against the Church, “because we have seen so many priests and religious fall victim to these gangs. In my community, a priest was kidnapped, and we had to pay a ransom for his release. As priests, when we leave the house, we never know if we’re coming back. I have sometimes had to throw myself to the ground to dodge bullets. We hear the sound of automatic weapons throughout the day. We are afraid, but we have to be present to support our people. We are suffering, but we are called to go beyond this suffering, towards hope.
Many dioceses and communities have suffered from theft and aggression. This is how they pressure the Church into silence, but our prophetic mission requires us to call out what is evil. Many of the parishes are closed. Some of them, such as the cathedral, are in conflict zones. This year, for example, the Chrism Mass was celebrated in the Church of Our Lady of Altagracia in Delmas, instead of in the cathedral. Other areas are more accessible, and so the faithful have taken to gathering in the parishes that are open. We have also taken to offering pastoral support online. The people’s faith remains alive. A large crowd attended Holy Thursday Mass, for instance, despite the danger. We know that this is a risky position, but that is our cross, and we accept it. As a Church, we must have the faith and the strength to accompany the people and all those who suffer, and we will continue to do so, even at risk to our own lives.”
Despite the volatility of the current situation, many believe that it might improve following the recent arrival of a contingent of Kenyan policemen by request from the UN. Fr Martial shares: “now it is the gangs who are beginning to be afraid, and we have seen them trying to negotiate. For some days now, the situation has been calmer. The other day the state recovered control of the Great Central Hospital of Port-au-Prince, which is a promising sign.”
A United Nations forces soldier in Haiti watches as a crowd surges to the check point where Haitians are presented a food voucher to receive rations at a distribution point. Credit: U.S. Marine Corps
Promising sign aside, many Haitians continue to live in daily terror. At the Foyer de l’Esperance – a social centre that Fr Martial runs for young people – a 12-year-old girl was murdered, and another was violently attacked. Several schools are closed because of the risk to safety caused by gang violence. Fortunately, due to the online school infrastructure set up during the pandemic, some of the schools are prepared to teach online. The general attitude is one of strength and hope, of finishing the current school year as well as possible, and hoping things will improve before the next school year begins.
Asked how he manages to continue to live in hope each day, Fr Martial says that “the Church is there to support the people. Some people are traumatised, and have suffered serious injury or abuse, but, as time goes by, the shock diminishes. Fear remains, but as a Church we cannot surrender, we have to keep moving forward, and bestowing hope. As a priest, my role is to bear witness. This crisis is also an opportunity to love and support, especially those who are facing difficulties, and the needy. Because it is our responsibility to accompany them and help them recover hope. I have been the director of CIFOR (The Inter-institute Centre for Religious Formation) for 15 years. That is where, with the support of ACN, we provide the seminarians with intellectual, spiritual and human formation.”