Haitian bishops appeal for calm as country approaches civil war

Published: 2004-02-17

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CNS) -- With Haiti on the brink of civil war, the nation's bishops called on political leaders to make a "personal and patriotic decision" to ensure peace. In a Feb. 16 statement released to the Rome-based MISNA news agency, Bishop Hubert Constant of Cap-Haitien, conference president, urged the country's politicians to make "the most salutary decision -- the best one -- to put an end to the current situation." In contrast to recent calls by Bishop Guire Poulard of Jacmel that the opposition should continue its mobilization to force President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to step down, the bishops' statement signed by Bishop Constant did not overtly call for the president's resignation. "It is not for the church to say which actions should be undertaken, but it is urgent that something should be done to stop the violence," the statement said. The bishops called on the government and opposition to allow humanitarian aid agencies to help stop the "intolerable suffering" of the Haitian people.

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