Image courtesy of Cindy Corell
Image courtesy of Cindy Corell
As people of faith, members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have walked with the people of Haiti for decades. Together, we have helped construct hospitals and schools, forged connections and friendships. We are concerned as we witness the people of Haiti again watch as their fate and the fate of their island nation play out.
Gangs have controlled the capital city of Port-au-Prince since 2021. Gang violence has left more than 1,000 people killed or injured in January alone. Many thousands have fled their neighborhoods. Just as plans were finalized for an armed foreign intervention to restore order last week, gangs gathered forces to break open prisons and attack airports.
The de facto prime minister is holding onto power in a bid to improve the prospects of his unpopular political party in the upcoming election. His resignation appears imminent. It is likely that either the well-armed gangs controlling the capital or external governments will install a new leader.
This power vacuum leaves the already exhausted people of Haiti even more unsettled. Trapped in their homes by violence and uncertainty, they wait and pray. Will they ever have their chance to be at the table, able to decide their own fate at last?
Please join me in praying for a peace that lasts, a peace the Haitian people have sought since 1804.
God of justice,
You know the strength and courage of your children of Haiti,
How they rose against the evils of enslavement even while they wore shackles,
How they etched their love of freedom for all in the inaugural constitution of this
First Free Black Republic,
How they were tricked into making an unjust and outrageous commitment
to pay their enslavers,
And how they struggled to pay that debt only by taking on more debt,
And meeting the 20th century as a Black nation under the knee of the white world.
God of righteousness,
You have watched as Haitian descendants of freedom fighters
suffer under dictatorships, economic exploitation, violent unrest, international interference, and an
ever-more fragile existence.
As violent gangs attempt to overthrow the fragile government,
We pray for peace rooted in justice,
For righteousness grounded in truth,
For laws founded in your love that sets us free.
We pray in the Name of the One who came that they may have life and have it abundantly. Amen.
Rev. Bronwen Boswell
Acting Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)