Pierre-André Dumas is appealing to world leaders and faith communities to respond to Haiti’s prolonged crisis with meaningful solidarity, warning that the Caribbean nation has been left to suffer in near total abandonment.
In an interview with Vatican News, Bishop Dumas, who also serves as vice president of the Episcopal Conference of Haiti, said prayer remains a vital source of hope for Haitians enduring gang violence, hunger, and institutional collapse.
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“Our people have suffered for years without anyone seeming to care,” he said. “The world must rediscover a sense of concrete solidarity with Haiti.”
The bishop proposed a global day of prayer for Haiti, inviting individuals, families, parishes, schools, and religious communities around the world to unite in support of the Haitian people.
For years, Haiti’s Catholic Church has repeatedly called on the international community to take stronger action, but Bishop Dumas said those appeals have largely gone unanswered.
He described a nation overwhelmed by armed gangs, extreme poverty, and chronic political instability. Much of Port-au-Prince remains under the control of criminal groups, forcing thousands of families from their homes and leaving children traumatized by persistent violence.
“The violence of armed gangs continues to spread fear, death, and destruction,” Dumas said.
The humanitarian situation remains dire. More than five million Haitians face acute food insecurity, while access to healthcare and education has deteriorated sharply. Some hospitals have ceased operations because of insecurity, and many schools remain closed.
Bishop Dumas also pointed to what he described as the deep fragility of Haiti’s public institutions.
“There is widespread distrust, public corruption, and unhealthy governmental instability,” he said. “Haiti is a wound in the side of the world that should shake everyone’s conscience.”
He urged wealthier nations not to ignore Haiti’s plight.
“Within the family of nations, the stronger brother cannot forget the weaker and wounded brother,” he said, noting Haiti’s close geographic proximity to the United States.
Dumas expressed gratitude to the Holy See for its continued support, highlighting a recent meeting between Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and a Haitian government delegation as a positive gesture toward peace.
Currently recovering in Florida after surviving an attack by gangs opposed to his mediation efforts, Bishop Dumas said he continues to hope for a papal visit to Haiti.
“To see the Pope visit Haiti one day,” he said, “would bring profound peace.”
As Haiti grapples with worsening insecurity and humanitarian distress, Bishop Dumas’ appeal underscores the urgent need for sustained international attention and practical support for a nation confronting one of the deepest crises in its modern history.
