The Catholic Church in Haiti is facing mounting attacks from armed gangs seeking to weaken one of the country’s few remaining institutions willing to challenge them, according to a Haitian bishop.
Bishop Joseph Gontrand Décoste of Jérémie told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that churches, clergy and religious communities were increasingly being caught up in the violence that has engulfed large parts of the Caribbean nation.
Bishop Décoste described the Church as one of the last significant voices resisting the influence of armed groups.
“We are the last remaining bulkhead - moral, ethical, spiritual and prophetic,” he said. “That is why they want to eliminate us.”
According to ACN, gangs are estimated to control between 70% and 90% of capital Port-au-Prince and have also established a presence in parts of the Artibonite and Centre departments.
Armed groups are reportedly imposing illegal tolls in areas under their control, while widespread insecurity has forced churches, schools and religious communities to abandon their buildings.
Around 40 Catholic parishes have shut down in Port-au-Prince, alongside approximately 15 in Haiti’s central plateau and another 10 in Artibonite.
The violence has extended to Catholic schools and religious houses, some of which have been attacked, set ablaze or occupied, with some reportedly converted into bases for criminal gangs.
Priests, seminarians and religious sisters have also been among those targeted.
During the first seven months of 2026, two priests were abducted and a seminarian was killed, according to ACN.
The violence follows a series of attacks against Catholic clergy and religious communities in recent years.
Members of the Little Sisters of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Sisters Evanette and Jeanne, were fatally attacked by gang members while undertaking their ministry in Mirebalais in March 2025. Nine religious sisters, five brothers and four priests were also kidnapped during 2024.
In spite of the deteriorating security situation, Bishop Décoste told ACN that the Church was continuing its ministry wherever possible, including providing pastoral support and practical assistance to thousands of people displaced by the violence.
Prayer, radio broadcasts and online teaching have also enabled churches to continue reaching communities where normal parish activities have become difficult or impossible.
“We keep praying, singing and dancing,” Bishop Décoste said. “In Haiti we say: ‘As long as they haven’t cut off our head, we still have hope of wearing a hat.’ That is why we never lose hope.”
The worsening security crisis has also complicated Haiti’s attempts to restore elected government.
Legislative and presidential elections had been scheduled for 30 August but have been pushed back until December.
However, Church sources have raised doubts over whether elections will be possible while armed groups retain control over significant parts of the country.
Haiti has not held national elections since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, after which the country’s political and security crisis deepened and armed groups substantially expanded their influence.
Bishop Décoste thanked supporters of ACN for continuing to assist the Church as it operates amid the crisis.
“This capacity for resilience is possible thanks to the great support we feel from organisations like Aid to the Church in Need,” he said. “Your prayers sustain us enormously; without them we could not carry on. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.”
