February 15, 2019 — "The country is on the brink of collapse" declared the bishops in a public statement on the explosive situation in the country relayed by the Catholic News Agency.“We must wake up to take together the full measure of the danger that threatens us all. This is the moment to join our forces and our intelligence to save our common boat, Haiti, which is our pride,” the Catholic Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Haiti said Feb. 11. They cited the Gospel of Matthew passage in which the seaborne disciples cry out to Christ as their boat starts to sink: “Lord, save us, we are perishing!”
Source: Le monde
"The hour is serious, poverty is increasing, the common good is threatened. The country is on the brink of collapse! This situation cannot be prolonged. Let us wake up to listen to God, master of wisdom and principle of all life. Let us listen to this people he loves so much," reads The Nouvelliste, which takes up the bishops’ note. "We must find a wise solution that takes into account the best interests of the nation and the defence of the common good. In this sense, we call on the civic conscience of the various parties to make a patriotic decision, if only at the cost of great sacrifices," the signatories, the Bishops, Launay Saturné, André Dumas, Gontrand Decoste E. Glandas Toussaint.
The protests in Haiti began on February 7, the second anniversary of President Jevenel Moïse’s mandate. The latter had been elected by promising an increase in purchasing power and it’s the opposite that happened: inflation exceeded 15% and the devaluation of the national currency against the US dollar caused the price of (many) imported products, including gasoline, to explode. In addition, a court report alleged at the end of January that 15 Haitian officials and former ministers misappropriated loans from Venezuela made to Haiti after 2008. The report suggested the president had a role in the irregularities.
More details on the Catholic News Agency.
