In response to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ deploying hundreds of additional officers and soldiers to the state’s southern coast to “protect” against Haitian migrants, Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami says “Haitians are not an ‘invasive species,’ and shouldn’t be treated as such.”
Many churches still struggle to rebuild from the 2021 earthquake in Haiti, but escalating gang violence is turning the situation from “bad to worse,” church leaders say. Nevertheless, they believe hope is alive in Haiti.
A priest living in a suburb of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, says armed gangs have taken control of 30% to 40% of the capital city and its surrounding suburbs, which has coincided with a surge of violence and crime.
To describe the ever-worsening circumstances in Haiti, Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami invokes the Haitian Creole word “gagòt,” which simply translates to “mess.”
The vice director for the National Center of the Haitian Apostolate (NCHA) pledged to continue its mission of ministering to Haitian Catholics across the U.S. That was the vision of retired Auxiliary Bishop Guy Sansaricq, who died recently. The bishop helped create NCHA nearly three decades ago.
Haiti-born clergy in Brooklyn kept their emotions in check as a transfer of power in their homeland was completed Tuesday, July 20, following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
