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Story of the day:
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HAITIAN PRAYS
A woman prays fervently outside the cathedral in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Feb. 24. Catholic bishops from the Americas expressed solidarity with the Haitian people as a rebel uprising threatened to completely destabilize the Caribbean nation. (CNS photo by William B. Plowman)
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Transmitted Feb-24-2004
North, South American bishops pledge solidarity with Haitian bishops
By Catholic News Service
SAN ANTONIO (CNS) -- Bishops from the United States, Latin America and Canada expressed their solidarity with the bishops in Haiti as a rebel uprising threatened to completely destabilize the nation.
"Be assured that the people of Haiti are in our prayers," the bishops said in a Feb. 23 statement released during their annual inter-American meeting, held this year in San Antonio.
The bishops said they wished to express their solidarity with the Haitian people and church "at this time of special peril."
"Every day brings new accounts in our media about the violence that is afflicting Haitian society and causing additional harm to so many Haitian people, already afflicted by intense poverty and other social ills," the bishops said.
Attending the San Antonio meeting were bishops from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Canadian bishops' conference and the Latin American bishops' council, known by its Spanish acronym, CELAM.
The bishops praised the Haitian bishops for recently forming a peace and reconciliation commission. They said they prayed that the commission would help lead Haiti "along the paths of genuine peace and reconciliation."
In a statement released in Washington, Coadjutor Bishop Thomas J. Wenski of Orlando, chairman of the U.S. bishops' migration committee, called on the United States to ensure the safety of any refugees who flee Haiti.
The bishop said the international community should do all it can to stabilize the political situation in Haiti, but if this fails it must ensure the safety of the most vulnerable refugees, "including unaccompanied children, women at risk and the elderly."
Bishop Wenski said the United States should set "appropriate locations" to process an influx of Haitian refugees; he rejected the use of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The bishop said the "prison-like atmosphere" at Guantanamo would "exacerbate any trauma these refugees have experienced" and limit their access to much-needed social services.
In a separate statement, Archbishop John C. Favalora of Miami called on the U.S. government not to discourage Haitians from fleeing violence and persecution and to ensure the safety of those who flee.
Rebels were poised to attack Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, after capturing the country's second-largest city, Cap-Haitien.
More than half of Haiti is beyond the control of the central government, The Associated Press reported.
Rebels are seeking the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Aristide, a former Salesian priest, became Haiti's first elected leader in 1991. He was ousted in a military coup shortly after his election and was restored to power in a 1994 U.S. invasion. He was re-elected in 2000 and now faces accusations of corruption and political violence.
The United States tried to broker a last-minute peace plan that did not require Aristide to resign. Rebel and opposition leaders had not yet responded to the plan, but have said Aristide's resignation was essential.
Fifty U.S. Marines were flown to Port-au-Prince Feb. 23 to protect the U.S. Embassy there.
END
Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service.
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