Religious: In Haiti, in addition to violence, a spiritual battle is fought

After the murder of the religious Evanette Onezaire and Jeanne Voltaire, of the Congregation of the Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus in Haiti, the HNA. Paésie, a missionary who knew the victims, said in an interview with Ewtn News that, in addition to criminal violence, in Haiti “a spiritual battle is fought, so we need many prayers.”

The Onezaire and Voltaire sisters were killed by members of a gang coalition known as Live together (Living) that since Monday, March 31, broke into the city of Mirebalais, in the center of Haiti, releasing about 500 prisoners from a prison, invading a police station and burning several homes.

The HNA. Paésie, whose first name is Claire Joelle Phillipe, explained that the victims worked at a public school aimed at people with limited resources, in collaboration with the government. He pointed out that the congregation of the sisters of Santa Teresa of the Infant Jesus is “very close to the poor people, but not in the cities, but in the countryside.”

The situation in Haiti

Violence in Haiti has climbed alarmingly in recent years. According to the UN Human Rights Officeat least 5,601 people were killed in 2024 as a result of the violence of the gangs, which represents a significant increase with respect to 2023. In addition, 2,212 people were injured and 1,494 were kidnapped.

The HNA. Paésie expressed concern, noting that “the general situation is deteriorating” in the country. He explained that, for many years, violence was limited to the marginal neighborhoods of the capital, but “for approximately two years, gangs have become more powerful.”

The gangs began to expand and seize other parts of the capital, which has accelerated to the point where “they have taken more than 80% of the prince port,” said the religious.

The religious explained that, when the gangs take an area, “people have to flee to save their life, because they are very violent. They burn houses, kill people. And people leave their homes and do not return. So now the situation is really disastrous.”

In addition, he pointed out that violence is no longer limited to the poorest areas, since in any scenario, “people have had to leave their homes and flee. They now live in camps, in terrible conditions. And other people still remain in their homes, but they are afraid because gangs are getting closer and more.”

The HNA. Paésie concluded asking for prayers for Haiti: “And I ask you to all who will be seeing this conversation that please pray, because the situation is really very bad.”