Dear Editor,

The Jamaica Council of Churches (JCC) notes with shock and horror the killing of President Jovenel Moïse of Haiti and the reported wounding of his wife, Martine Moïse, in an attack on their residence on July 7, 2021.

The council joins with the people of Haiti, both those at home and in the diaspora, in mourning this tragedy and laments the persistent deterioration of civil order within the country. We pray for Madame Moïse’s recovery from her injuries.

We are dismayed that the social, economic, and political factors which have historically beleaguered our sister nation have persisted and have now been exacerbated by the current novel coronavirus pandemic. We, therefore, call on the political consultative mechanisms within the region, in particular the Caricom Heads of Government and Secretariat and the Organization of American States (OAS) to urgently address Haiti’s concerns in deliberations relating to development and security in that country and the region.

Further, we urge all regional faith-based organisations, in general, and the churches, in particular, to reach out to the religious leaders and people of Haiti to offer support and solidarity. Let us reassure them that God’s love in Christ Jesus offers hope, which is enabled by God’s power and presence in the midst of their persistent pain, as is proclaimed in Romans 8:38-39.

Rev Newton GA Dixon

President

Jamaica Council of Churches

presidentatjcc@gmail.com