Institutions dependent on the Catholic Church in Haiti must “observe a work stoppage” on Thursday to protest the insecurity following the kidnapping of ten people on Sunday, including seven religious – five Haitians and two French – near Port -au-Prince.
“To protest the evil deeds in the country,” the church is calling on “Catholic institutions”, including schools and universities, to “observe a work stoppage on Thursday,” the Haitian Bishops’ Conference said in a statement Tuesday.
“Bandits” who “act in peace” appear to have “more power than the state and the police,” lamented religious leaders, stating that “not even children are spared” from kidnappings.
Masses will be celebrated Thursday “to ask God to change Haiti,” they added.
On Monday, the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince lamented Haitian society’s “descent into hell” and condemned the passivity of the public powers in this insecurity-ridden Caribbean country.
“The public powers that are doing nothing to resolve this crisis are not immune to suspicion. We condone complacency and complicity wherever they come from,” they said in a statement.
Later, President Jovenel Moise pledged not to “surrender” to the “scourge” of kidnapping in Haiti. “I am aware that the state needs to step up its efforts to combat this disaster,” he acknowledged.
The group kidnapped on Sunday includes four Haitian priests and a nun, as well as two French citizens from western France: a nun from the Mayenne department and a priest from Ille-et-Vilaine who have lived in Haiti for over 30 years.
Three people were also kidnapped, members of the family of a Haitian priest who is not among those kidnapped.
Most Haitians are Catholic and their country is the poorest in America.