The violence has spread throughout the country, especially in the administrative districts of Ouest, Centre, and Artibonite. The prelate pointed out that “there are no safe areas” since “gangs operate almost everywhere, making it extremely difficult to move, especially outside the capital.”
The Church has not been spared the violence. Mésidor lamented the numerous kidnappings of priests and men and women religious: “In 2021 the first priests and religious were kidnapped. In this year, 2024, there were six nuns in January, six nuns and one priest in February, and another priest on March 1.”
According to Mésidor, the “dictatorship of kidnapping” is a reality that is spreading like “a plague.” However, despite the dangers, he said, it “must be fought,” and the Church will remain firm in its mission and “will not abandon our brothers and sisters.”
When asked about the challenges he faces in his episcopal ministry, the archbishop responded: “It’s really very difficult… daily life consists of suffering, violence, gunfights, poverty, and deprivation,” adding that his pastoral work is very restricted by the situation: “I cannot visit two-thirds of my diocese because the roads are blocked.”
“I have not been to the cathedral for two years,” the archbishop lamented. “Once, while I was in my office, there was a lot of gunfire and I had to stay there for four hours before I could get out to celebrate Mass. Bullets struck my office window. The last celebration I was able to do in the cathedral was the chrism Mass.”
The people, however, are living their faith in these circumstances and despite these circumstances. “Perhaps there was gunfire in the neighborhood the night before. But the next day, even at 6 o’clock in the morning, the church is full. There are people who go and visit the sick, in spite of the danger.”