Catholic Church in Haiti
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The Catholic Church in Haiti is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope, the Curia in Rome and the Conference of Haitian Bishops.
There are ten
Colonisation and the first wave of evangelization (1511–1806)
"The Dioceses of Santo Domingo and Concepción de la Vega were founded in 1511, and the island of Hispaniola that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, was divided between these bishoprics. In 1527 Concepción was incorporated into Santo Domingo, which remained the only diocese until 1862. Many regular clergy came with the French into the French territory, especially the Dominicans and the Capuchins. The Dominicans devoted themselves especially to the mission in the western part of the colony, and were for a time supported therein by other orders and secular priests."[1]
"The Dominicans were also designated as missionaries to the southern part of the island. The Capuchins, who looked after the northern part of the island, and were likewise assisted by other orders and secular priests, soon were unable to supply enough missionaries. On that account they gave up this mission in 1704, and were replaced by the Jesuits, who worked there until their expulsion at the end of 1763. Secular priests followed, but after five years they were superseded by Capuchins."[1]
"The
The Concordat and the second wave of evangelization (1860–1910)
"After years of negotiations, a concordat between the Catholic Church and the Haitian government was signed on 28 March 1860. In December 1860, Monseigneur Monetti arrived as the Church's delegate.
The concordat provided that the Catholic Church would have the special protection of the Government. The president would nominate the archbishop and the bishops, but the Pope could refuse them canonical institution. The clergy received an annual salary of 1200 francs from the State."[1]
"Five bishoprics were erected in 1861; the Archbishopric of Port-au-Prince, and the Sees of Cap-Haitien, Les Cayes, Gonaïves, and Port-de-Paix. Initially, the Archbishop of Port-au-Prince administered all the dioceses. A separate bishop was appointed to Cap-haitien in 1873, who would also oversee the administration of Port-au-Paix. In 1893 a separate bishop was appointed for Les Cayes; while Gonaïves was still administered by the archbishop. On the conclusion of the concordat, three fathers of the
The struggle and reconciliation with vodou culture (1934–1990)
After the American Occupation ended in 1934, there was a constant struggle for power between the Catholic Church and the followers of vodou. The small number of priests and members of
Nationalists and others came to resent the Catholic Church because of its European orientation and its alliance with the
In the aftermath of Jean-Claude Duvalier's departure, the church took a less active role in Haiti's politics. The church hierarchy strongly supported the suppressed 1987 Constitution, which granted official status to Creole and guaranteed basic human rights, including the right to practice vodou. The alliance with the lower classes left the Catholic Church with two unresolved problems in the late 1980s: its uneasy relationship with vodou and its relationship to the more radical elements of the political movement that it had supported.[3]
The fight against poverty and liberation theology (1990–2004)
The mid-1980s marked a profound change in the church's stance on issues related to peasants and the urban poor. Reflecting this change was the statement by Pope
In 1990, a priest from the slums of Port-au-Prince was elected by 67% of the people:
Though Cardinal
21st century
The Church is attempting to assist Haitians who are in poverty, and with their health and living conditions. In accordance with Catholic social teaching, it strives to vindicate the right to life of all people in Haiti, through partnerships and twinnings.[8]
According to the Catholic Church in Haiti, the ten dioceses of the two ecclesiastical provinces of Haiti include 251 parishes and about 1,500 Christian rural communities. The indigenous clergy has 400 diocesan priests and 300 seminarians. Vocations to the priesthood are considered sufficient. There are also 1,300 religious missionary priests belonging to more than 70 religious congregations.[9]
Church leaders and property sustained damage as the result of the
In 2014 the pope named the first Haitian to become a cardinal of the Church: Chibly Langlois, Bishop of Les Cayes and president of the Haitian Episcopal Conference.
Following the turmoil in which Haiti was embroiled in 2021, with the murder of President Jovenel Moïse, the Haitian Catholic Bishops launched an appeal for unity, saying "the moment in which we are living is extremely serious and particularly decisive at this irreversible turning point of our history. What is at stake is our present and our future, and therefore our existence itself as a people, as a nation, as a state. We must make courageous and effective decisions.”
“Our dear Haiti is crossing a difficult stage in its history,” wrote the bishops.[10] “Who is going to finally stop her descent into hell? The Haitian people really cannot do it anymore. They are tired, worn out, exhausted." Calling for an end to for division, disunity, disagreement, discord and fratricidal struggles for power, for the unchecked and shameless pursuit of personal, egoistic and petty interests", the bishops called on politicians to "come to the widest possible consensus so as to enable a definitive exit from the crisis."
in 2022 there were several cases of anti-Catholic violence in Haiti, namely the kidnapping of Fr Whatner Aupont,[11] who was later released, the murder of Sister Luisa Dell’Orto,[12] and the arson attack on the Cathedral in Port-au-Prince, as well as the looting of Caritas offices in other parts of the country.[13]
According to the 2017 Haitian Government Survey (2017), Catholics made up 52% of the population.[14] Independent figures in 2020 put this at 65.9%.[15]
See also
- Christianity in Haiti
- Christian-Voodoo relations
- Social class in Haiti
- List of Central American and Caribbean saints
References
This article incorporates text from the entry Haiti in the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1910.
- ^ a b c d e Text has been adapted from: Reinhold, G. (1910). "Haiti", The Catholic Encyclopedia, New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved May 27, 2009
- ^ *McAlister, Elizabeth. 1998. "The Madonna of 115th St. Revisited: Vodou and Haitian Catholicism in the Age of Transnationalism." In S. Warner, ed., Gatherings in Diaspora. Philadelphia: Temple Univ. Press.
- ^ Chapter on Catholicism, Section on Society, Richard A. Haggerty, ed. Haiti: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1989
- ^ Kohan, John; Allis, Sam & Wynn, Wilton (March 21, 1983). "Things Must Change Here". Time.
- ^ "Liberation Theology" by Cardinal Ratzinger at Christendom Awake
- ^ "My Rosary Is My Only Weapon - Fr. Jean-Juste goes to Court in Haiti, Again". Archived from the original on 2010-01-27. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
- ^ Sautreuil, Pierre (2020-01-12). "Notre-Dame de Port-au-Prince, cathédrale martyre de Haïti". Le Figaro.fr (in French).
- ^ A number of projects could be mentioned among which the Haiti Outreach Mission of the Richmond Diocese - Twinning Information
- ^ "Site Web Officiel de l'Eglise de Haïti - L'épiscopat". Archived from the original on 2009-01-08. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
- ^ ACN (2022-02-09). "Haiti's bishops make urgent appeal for unity". ACN International. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
- ^ ACN (2022-05-06). "Kidnapping of Fr Whatner Aupont highlights Haitian crisis". ACN International. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
- ^ "Italian nun slain in Haiti is hailed by pope as martyr". AP NEWS. 2022-06-26. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
- ^ ACN (2022-10-13). "Churches and institutions attacked in Haiti". ACN International. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
- ^ "US State Dept 2021 report on Haiti".
- ^ World Religion Database at the ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-03
Further reading
- "The Catholic Church in Haiti: Political and Social Change", an article from: Theological Studies by John P. Hogan
- The Catholic Church in Haiti: Political and Social Change by Anne Greene
- The Faces of the Gods: Vodou and Roman Catholicism in Haiti by Leslie G. Desmangles
- Our Lady of Class Struggle: The Cult of the Virgin Mary in Haiti by Terry Rey
- "A Transatlantic Battle of Robes: French Priests in the Haitian Revolution" by Miriam Franchina