Don’t let them steal your hope’

HAITI

Amid the violence, poverty, and institutional crisis facing Haiti, the local Church clings to one hope: the presidential elections scheduled for March 29, 2026. So said Bishop Pierre-André Dumas, Bishop of Anse-à-Veau-Miragoâne and Vice President of the Haitian Episcopal Conference.

In an interview with Vatican News from Florida, where he continues his recovery from the explosion that destroyed the parish house in Port-au-Prince in 2024, Bishop Dumas spoke of his hope for the moral reconstruction of Haiti, and the role of the Church in the midst of grief.

Haiti is under the control of armed gangs that dominate large areas of the country, including 80 per cent of Port-au-Prince. Even so, Bishop Dumas is confident that the elections announced by the Provisional Electoral Council will bring hope.

“We hope this is a step toward democracy. There is a constitution that must be respected, and the principles of dignity, solidarity, fraternal integration, and subsidiarity must be restored,” he said.

He warned that the lack of security is the greatest obstacle: “There are areas of the country that are no-man’s-land, where gangs rule. The electoral process must be carried out with complete transparency and must involve the entire society.”

Asked about the feasibility of the elections, Bishop Dumas doesn’t hide his concern: “It will be very difficult; we can’t hide the reality of Haiti,” he admitted. “There is a risk that the vote will become a formal ritual, devoid of democratic substance. But postponing it would mean erasing the people’s hope.”

For this reason, he insisted that the country needs the determined support of the international community. “What is really needed is strong support, as Pope Leo XIV has also called for,” he said.

Bishop Dumas appealed to the Haitian people, whom he described as “exhausted, but not defeated”: “When you go to the polls, have the courage to elect honest and credible leaders. These elections can represent a radical change. As Pope Francis has always said, do not let them steal your hope.”

(Adapted from ADN Celam News)