U.S. delegation supports need for citizenship education in Haiti

Published: 2004-12-23

SILVER SPRING, Md. (CNS) -- A delegation of U.S. men religious returned from Haiti hoping to encourage support for efforts by Haitian bishops to provide citizenship education in the impoverished nation. In a country that has had dictatorships and external overthrows of its governments, people "still have a colonial mentality," said Trinitarian Father Stan De Boe, justice and peace director of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men. "There is a huge gap between the haves and the have-nots. The haves own the political system," he told Catholic News Service in a telephone interview Dec. 21. "The have-nots are the majority and extremely poor. They can't control the destiny of their own lives," he said. "Haitians see elections held and then governments overthrown. How do you show Haitians that elections are worthwhile? This is part of education for developing a civil society," he said. Father De Boe was part of a four-member CMSM delegation that visited Haiti Dec. 13-17 to meet with church people, U.S. Ambassador to Haiti James Foley, U.N. officials and people involved in human rights issues.

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