Archbishop Max Leroy Mesidor, President of the Haitian Bishops’ Conference and Archbishop of Port-au-Prince, has expressed deep gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for his recent call to action on Haiti’s worsening crisis. Speaking to Vatican News, Archbishop Mesidor voiced hope that “the Pope’s cry will be heard by the Haitian authorities and by the international community.”
The Archbishop noted that while the international community has held numerous meetings about Haiti, progress remains painfully slow. “The multinational security support force has had a very limited impact,” he said, citing a severe shortage of personnel and logistical resources.
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During his Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo turned his attention to the country’s suffering, condemning “violence of all kinds, human trafficking, forced displacement, and kidnappings.” He appealed for the immediate release of hostages and urged world leaders to take “concrete steps to help create the social and institutional conditions that will allow the Haitian people to live in peace.”
Archbishop Mesidor said the Pope’s words reflect “the voice of the Church in Haiti, which continues to call for an end to violence.” He described the recent kidnapping of eight people — including a child from the Sainte Hélène orphanage in Kenscoff — as “an act of barbarity” and a symptom of “the failure of a state and a society that is losing its sense of life and human dignity.”
While welcoming international support, Mesidor stressed that Haitians themselves must take the lead. “It is primarily up to us to organize our country around a common project, promoting dialogue in nonviolence and justice. For there to be dialogue, the weapons must fall silent. There must be a renunciation of violence.”
The Archbishop concluded with a prayer that Haitians may break free from the “chains that hinder development — especially the violence of armed groups, the lack of patriotic awareness, and petty struggles for power and money.” He expressed hope that the Jubilee of Hope will bring “grace, blessings, and renewed faith” to the Haitian people, affirming, “Hope in God never disappoints.”
