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…According to information released by the local press, President Moïse was shot dead around 1:00 am Wednesday, July 7, 2021 by a Spanish-speaking armed group. No further details on the killers or any claims were provided. Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph, in an official statement issued a few hours later, broke the news, adding that he was taking on the task of leading the country. In the attack, according to Joseph's statement, the president's wife was injured and hospitalized.

The Haitian Bishops speak out

Untitled 1Past President Jovenel Moïse, 53, Haiti's 42nd president, here seen taking Oath of Office, with his wife nearbyThe Episcopal Conference of Haiti issued a statement, also sent to Agenzia Fides, condemning the fact, which reads:

"Violence can only generate violence and leads to hatred. This attitude will never help our country to get out of this political impasse that can only be resolved through dialogue, consensus, the spirit of commitment for the best interest of the nation, for the common good of the country. The Episcopal Conference invites all the sons and daughters of the country to overcome their personal pride and group interests to seek together, around a table, the Haitian solution long awaited by the population, dictated by love for Haiti and for our values as a people. Lay down your arms! Choose life! Choose fraternal coexistence in the interest of all and in the interest of Haiti!"

Bp. Launay Saturné publicly declares that Haiti is sick

President Jovenel Moïse, 53, was Haiti's 42nd president. After complicated elections in 2015 and a ballot postponed several times, Jovenel Moïse was sworn in as the new President of Haiti on February 7, 2017. The administration of President Moïse recorded several frictions with the Bishops, to the point that on June 27, 2018, for the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Patroness of Haiti, Mgr. Launay Saturné, Bishop of Jacmel, President of the Bishops' Conference of Haiti before all the authorities of the country, including the president, denounced: "the country is sick" in many sectors, including the judiciary.

Untitled 2A La Salette Cross and heart traced in front of one of our La Salette Parish Churches in HaitiIn 2019 the Bishops denounced violence, intimidation and misery, commenting on the situation in the country after the population took to the streets to demonstrate against the government of President Moïse. In recent months, opposition leaders had called for Moise's resignation, arguing that his term legally ended in February 2021, but he insisted on changing the constitution with a referendum in order to remain President.

These are very difficult times for people in Haiti

Last month, the Bishops had published a statement on the matter: "it is not the time to change the Constitution in the midst of a social and political crisis, in these difficult times for our people.” In recent times, Haiti is experiencing a further worsening of the political, economic and social destabilization that has plagued it for years. Violence has reached worrying levels, kidnappings (including religious ones) are on the agenda, inflation is on the rise, food and fuel are scarce in a country where 60 percent of the population earns less than $2 a day.

In addition, Haiti has never recovered from the devastating 2010 earthquake and Hurricane Matthew, which hit it in 2016. The coronavirus pandemic has further aggravated the situation. In 2019 there were violent popular protests and clashes in which dozens of people died. A change was hoped for with the general elections that should have been held at the end of this year, but the murder of Moïse opens up an unpredictable scenario.

(Republished with permission of Agenzia Fides)