Haiti: Religious Sisters Protest Attacks on Their Houses

Silent marches protest unceasing attacks in Haiti. The poorest country in the world is living moments of terror. More than 30 houses of female religious have been raided. The entire population lives in insecurity, but the houses of religious are an easy target because they are large and have computers.

The Government has condemned these acts of violence and has made it known that the police are actively searching for the authors and their accomplices to bring them to justice.

The sisters are the main target of violent attacks. They are assaulted and their money and valuables are stolen.
The Hatian Religious Conference organizes Masses and silent marches to protest these actions.

When interviewed by Aleteia, Isabel Solà, a member of the Religious of Jesus and Mary in Haiti, told us, "The sad reality is that, since October of 2014, they enter religious houses, and they beat and seriously assault people."

"The situation of the country is very delicate," the sister declares. She details how "the people are becoming violent and aggressive. They are tired that the Government is doing no more than keeping up appearances. Meanwhile, the hospitals are in a sorry state, garbage trucks never come by…"

The environment on the island is another problem: there isn’t a single tree and everything is dry. "It’s terribly hot; the lack of trees makes it even hotter, and when it rains, there are floods or hurricanes."

"We religious denounce these problems, and we thank you for talking about this situation: no one talks about Haiti anymore," Isabel Solà comments.

The Haitian Religious Conference, which represents 96 congregations with more than 3,000 sisters, priests and brothers, denounces these "injustices and persecutions," and Cardinal Langlois, bishop of Les Cayes, has also condemned these brutal acts.

The country has few prospects. Haiti lives an a situation of chronic political instability, aggravated by natural disasters that make it the poorest nation in the Americas.

The earthquake of 2010 and the hurricane of 2012 devastated the country’s economy. The bishops insist that the country needs "reconciliation," and the religious continue to organize silent marches and prayer vigils.

This article was published in the Spanish edition of Aleteia and translated by Matthew Green.