A New Plan To Rebuild the Catholic Church in Haiti

There's something we need to discuss but first... The earthquake...

If you recall, on January 12, 2010, the earthquake destroyed the national cathedral in Haiti, and killed archbishop Joseph Serge Miot.

Not only that, dozens of catholic churches were badly damaged or destroyed by the earthquake and dozens of priests, seminarians, and nuns lost their lives.

The catholic school system in Haiti also took a hit...

So I guess it is safe to assume that in the years to come, we will be seing some new and elegant catholic cathedrals and school buildings erected in Haiti.

Nice!

Bon... Kite kantik pran prie...

Do you know the real history of the Catholic church and Haiti?

Do you know why "La France" and "Le Francais" is such a big deal in Haiti?

Do you know why every school book published in Haiti says "F.I.C." (Freres de l'Instruction Chretienne)???

Do you know why it is such a big deal to graduate from "Le Petit Seminaire College Saint-Martial" or "Institution Saint Louis de Gonzague"???

(If you want to say it like me, you have to press on the 'L' in 'Martial' and press on the 'gue' in 'Gonzague'... Trust me, it makes you sound really intelligent!)

Do you know that all of it has to do with the catholic church?

Bagay serye wi m-ap ba-w laaaaa...

A little bit of history about the Catholic church and Haiti..

When Haiti became the world's first independent black republic, the Vatican refused to recognize the Haitian government. So there was no official catholic church in Haiti from 1804 until 1860.

I guess God didn't want a Black Republic!

Yep... the idea of a free black state was too contagious... so, the catholic church joined the boycott against Haiti, they pulled out all their priests and left the believers to fend for themselves.

Catholic Creole!

Now do you understand why every catholic saint is linked to a vodou deity in Haiti... The Haitians made their own "creole version" the Catholic church and it remained that way for half a century..

Vierge Marie mere de Dieu became Erzulie Freda, Saint Pierre became Papa Legba, and so on...

Vodou is tied to the Catholic church... Forever... You see the virgin Mary, my Haitian brother sees Erzulie... Aint nothing you can do about that...

The concordat of 1860

In 1860, the Vatican signed a Concordat with the Haitian government welcoming the church back to Haiti. Signed by President Fabre-Nicholas Geffrard, the concordat gave the church some very special privileges.

Wanna know that they are...

Ok... I'll tell you...

All the archbishops, bishops, and clerics of the catholic church in Haiti were white French-speaking Europeans sent by the Vatican and all the Haitian Government could do is "APROVE"

Se sa ki fe tout "Mon Pe" tout ak "Ma Me" ou te konnen en Haiti, se te you paket "BLAN"

The bishops and archbishops were subsidized by the Haitian government...

Sa vle di... the Haitian government had to take money out of public funds to pay these guys...

epi ou panse se la France selman nou ta-p peye?

Hmmmmmm!

W-ap konn GEORGES!

Gen toujou wi, let me give you the highlights...

Education - The Concordat Amendment of 1862

In 1862, the catholic church was legally put in charge of the education of the children of the Republic of Haiti.

So they spent all their sweet time teaching Haitian kids how to speak French and how everything "French" was beautiful and everything Haitian was... well... They didn't care about that...

They were not Haitians... They were missionaries on a mission... to... Hmmm....

La valeur est "Francais" apres tout!

Vive la France!

Now you understand why more educated you are the more distant you want to be from "Les Haitiens"

It's OK... It's a medical condition... Hmmm... gen remed pou li wi...

The Catholic Church and The Duvaliers Regime

The first president to Haitianize the Catholic church was Francois Duvalier with the concordat of 1966.

Then... in exchange for a visit by pope John Paul II to Haiti, Jean Claude Duvalier was doublecrossed by the Vatican in signing the concordat of 1984 in which he gave up all the rights acquired by his father and every future president's right to nominate church leaders in Haiti.

If you want every single details, read: Roman Catholicism, Haiti Education, and Concordats and Vodou: Who controls the Haitian church?

There you have it...

Over the past two centuries, the Catholic church has been doing a little more than making sure Haitians make it to heaven...

Oh... No... They've been educating us...

Have you learned anything so far???

Question:

Do you still believe that the church is only about "Our Father, who art in heaven..."???

Or is it really "Our Power, who art on earth..."???

Anyway... you know me... m-toujou ap pale sa-m pa konnen...

M-ale papa...

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