In the night of Saturday to Sunday, unknown vandalized the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Cap-Haitien. Objects of worship, statues of saints, furniture have been overturned, broken or destroyed, the Vatican flag was torn and the Blessed Sacrament carried away...

Unsigned leaflets, extolling the virtues of Protestant sects, have been found there. These leaflets presenting the Catholic Church as the devil's house, promising to save the country and invites the Catholics to abandon the religion. Similar leaflets, had been found in the North during the patronal feasts.

Police and the responsibles of of the Archdiocese have visited the site in presence of faithful very affected. Because of the situation, the archdiocese has closed the Cathedral Notre-Dame and the Sunday morning Mass was not celebrated.

Mgr Louis Kebreau, Archbishop of Cap-Haitien has strongly condemned these odious acts, pointing, the arrival in the country, of a series of religions that make many promises to the Haitians and who install an "unhealthy religious fanaticism" in Haiti. He calls on the Government to take all appropriate measures to monitor these groups, while deploring the weakness of the police in Cap Haitien, a city abandoned to itself. "This is not the time of religious wars. It is rather that of reconciliation [...] We must take steps to better manage the country. As long as there is no rule of law, we will continue to live this kind of situation [...]" said Mgr Kebreau, who announced an emergency meeting of the high clergy.

Pastor Sylvain Exantus, President of the Protestant Federation of Haiti has also strongly condemned these acts, recalling that the Constitution of 1987 guarantees the freedom of religion in the country. He informed having convened the highest Protestant instances and that a delegation will visit the site to investigate.

For his part, the Commissioner and Departmental Director of Police, Joany Canéus, has announced the opening of an investigation and the mobilization of his workforce in order to find the perpetrators of this crime.

HL/ HaitiLibre