HAITI
Legal framework on freedom of religion and actual application
Haiti’s constitution[1] stipulates the free exercise of all religions and beliefs in the country, and that all citizens have the right to profess their religion and practise their faith, provided this does not interfere with public order and peace (Article 30).
Article 30 (1) states that no one can be forced to belong to a religious organisation or follow any teaching that is contrary to their beliefs. Article 30 (2) sets the conditions for the recognition and practice of religions and faiths.
Under Article 35 (4), labour unions are essentially considered “non-political, non-profit and non-denominational.”
Article 55 (2) allows foreign nationals, as well as foreign companies, to own property in the country for the needs of their “religious, humanitarian and educational enterprises”.
As stipulated in Article 135 (1), upon taking the oath of office, the President of the Republic must say: “I swear before God and the Nation…” In accordance with Article 187, members of the High Court of Justice also state: “I swear before God and before the Nation to judge with the impartiality and the firmness appropriate to an honest and free man, according to my conscience and my deep-seated conviction.”
As set out in Article 215, centres of African belief are regarded as part of the nation’s heritage and are protected by the State.
A concordat with the Holy See allows the Vatican to choose Haiti’s Catholic bishops with the government’s consent. On this basis, the Haitian government should provide economic support to Catholic priests and churches.[2] However, local Church sources report that the government has failed to honour these agreements for several years.[3]
Legally, religious organisations must register with the Bureau of Worship (BOW), which is part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as submit an annual update specifying their activities. Registration gives religious organisations some tax exemptions. The Ministry of Justice allows members of the clergy of registered religious groups to issue civil documents, such as baptism and marriage certificates.[4]
Voodoo was recognised as a religion in 2003.[5]
For years, Muslim communities have sought official recognition from the BOW, but so far only the Ahmadiyya community has been registered.[6] Sunnis and Shi‘as are still waiting; for this reason, Islamic marriages are not recognised and Muslims must be civilly married; this is also true for the Ahmadiyya since their clergy have not yet been certified.[7]
In Haiti, some Christian and Islamic groups choose to operate informally, without official recognition.[8]
Since 1976, Haiti has been a member of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.[9]
Incidents and developments
Haiti has been suffering from instability and political, economic and social chaos for decades, which have only grown worse in the past few years provoking a major humanitarian crisis. In the words of former transitional Prime Minister Garry Conille: “over the past decades, Haiti has suffered a total collapse of its institutions. Our state structures are in ruins, bereft of the resources they require to function”.[10] He added that corruption is generalised and violence has gutted these same institutions, depriving citizens of basic services.[11]
Criminal gangs control parts of the country and terrorise the population; a UN expert, William O'Neill, pointed out that looting, kidnapping and murder have become everyday occurrences.[12] Added to these issues are shortages in drinking water, healthcare, housing and education. Mr. O'Neill stressed that, for three years, the southern region of Haiti has had no electricity, nor fuel to run generators, while many schools have been converted into shelters for the displaced.[13]
Given the societal collapse and the inability to confirm the veracity of events, the following incidents must be considered merely illustrative.
After the crisis sparked by the murder of President Jovenel Moise on 7 July 2021, the situation in Haiti degraded rapidly. In February 2024, people took to the streets to protest and demand the resignation of acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry.[14] Rival gangs, which had also joined the protests, then carried out coordinated attacks on police stations and prisons – enabling the mass escape of some 4,700 prisoners[15] – and looted containers of humanitarian aid in the capital’s port.[16] A UNICEF representative, Bruno Maes, stated that “we are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe”. and the government soon declared a state of emergency.[17]
In 2024, a consensus was reached to name a Presidential Transition Council[18] with the aim of electing a new prime minister[19] and a Provisional Electoral Council. Both of these councils include representatives from religious communities.[20]
December 2024 was a particularly violent month: nine people were killed in an attack in Petite-Riviere,[21] and over 207 people were murdered between 5 and 21 December[22] after a gang leader accused individuals for having cast a voodoo spell on his son, who suffered from a serious disease.[23]
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, visited Haiti in early 2023,[24] and, shortly afterwards, the UN approved the deployment of an international force headed by Kenya.[25]
In 2024, the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR)[26] warned of a significant increase in gang violence and organised crime. In 2024 the same body reported at least 5,601 murders,[27] 1,494 kidnappings,[28] and 700,000 Haitians displaced.[29]
Armed gang violence has had a profoundly damaging effect on religious life in Haiti, particularly in the capital, Port-au-Prince.[30] According to local Church sources, around 70 parishes have either been abandoned or forced to suspend most of their pastoral activities due to the prevailing insecurity. In some areas, priests are unable to celebrate Mass or carry out charitable work without facing serious risks. Outside the capital, the security situation is comparatively more stable; however, widespread and extreme poverty continues to pose a major obstacle to the full and free exercise of religion.[31]
In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need, Archbishop Max Leroy Mésidor of Port-au-Prince described how gang violence has severely limited his pastoral work: “Daily life consists of suffering, violence, gunfights, poverty and deprivation… I cannot visit two-thirds of my diocese because the roads are blocked… I have not been to the cathedral for two years”. He recalled being trapped in his office for four hours during a nearby gunfight, with bullets striking his window.[32]
During the period under review, attacks took place against religious ministers and churches.[33]
In August 2023, the pastor of an Evangelical Church, Rev. Marcorel Zidor, organised a protest against a gang. His followers marched, some carrying sticks and machetes, but were fired upon leaving seven dead, some wounded, and others kidnapped.[34]
In May 2024, a U.S. missionary couple, Davy and Natalie Lloyd, along with their Haitian colleague, Jude Montis, were ambushed and killed by gang members in Port-au-Prince as they left a Church youth group event.[35]
On 31 March 2025, two religious sisters from the Congregation of the Little Sisters of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus were brutally murdered by armed gangs in Mirebalais, about 50 kilometres northeast of Port-au-Prince. Sisters Evanette Onezaire and Jeanne Voltaire were on mission in the city when, amid an attack by armed gangs, they sought refuge with other civilians. The assailants discovered their hiding place and killed the entire group. This tragic episode highlights the growing vulnerability of religious communities in Haiti, which are frequently targeted for extortion or reprisal. In such a deteriorating context, both worship and the social role of religious institutions are increasingly compromised.[36]
Others were kidnapped for ransom: Claretian Fr Antoine Christian Noah, who managed to escape; Fr Jean-Yves Médidor, from the Clerics of Saint Viator[37] and six religious sisters from the Congregation of St Anne.[38] Six members of the congregation of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart and one teacher were kidnapped on 23 February 2024[39]; on the same day, a gang kidnapped a priest and several faithful.[40] Fr Alain Michel, of the Church of St Anne,[41] and three religious Sisters from the Congregation of St Joseph of Cluny were abducted on 5 March 2024.[42] Fr Emmanuel Saintéliat, parish priest of Saint John the Baptist Church, was kidnapped on 30 June 2024 by gang members who also attacked the Municipality of Gressier, near Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.[43] In most cases, the kidnapped were released a few days later.
The Antilles Episcopal Conference has said that churches have become targets for criminal gangs.[44] The following incidents corroborate this statement. Marcella Catozza, a Franciscan Sister, spoke of how the gangs threaten people in order to take control of their houses in which they install themselves;[45] priests were trapped in Saint-Camille Hospital while it was under siege;[46] a gang broke into the Rendez-Vous Christ Church during a religious celebration with the intention of kidnapping the pastor;[47] Bishop André Dumas was the victim of an attack with explosives;[48] gangs broke into several places to loot, including a historic school, the Minor Seminary of Saint-Martial,[49] and the Convent of the Sisters of Sanfil.[50]
The Catholic Church has repeatedly denounced both the violence perpetrated by armed gangs and the indifference of politicians,[51] calling for peace[52] and insisting on the need for the “urgent intervention of international peacekeeping forces”.[53]
One positive initiative covered by the media was the Week of Religions, to promote awareness about various faiths and highlight their social function. The initiative included the participation of religious leaders, academics and members of civil society, with the aim of promoting interreligious dialogue and strengthening the country’s social fabric.[54]
Prospects for freedom of religion
It is difficult to imagine how the situation in Haiti could get any worse. Criminal gangs have taken advantage of a power vacuum to control much of the territory and engage in violence that terrorises the population. Besides the issues of security and the health crisis, Haiti is experiencing the worst food emergency in the western world.[55] Churches are looted and the religious are kidnapped. The circumstances and conditions that normally allow the unhindered exercise of this human right are – as a result of extreme violence - non-existent today and likely going forward in the near future.[56]
Sources
Haiti