PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) — The Archbishop of Port au Prince, in Haiti, Max Leroy Mésidor, says he has “no words to describe what is currently happening” in the capital where criminal gangs, seeking to overthrow the government, have taken over large sections of the area.

In a message to his “brothers and sisters of the consecrated life”, the Archbishop wrote that, “We are experiencing one of the worst moments in our history as a people.”

He said that the situation has been ongoing for several years, expressing his “spiritual closeness and moral support” to “those who are direct victims of all this violence”.

“I have no words to describe what is currently happening in Port-au-Prince. It’s an incredible reality…religious communities are displaced, school gates are closed, elderly and sick nuns have had to be evacuated in the middle of the night, congregations have had to abandon their nursing homes and have nowhere to house their sick sisters… provincial houses are trying to find new homes.

“I am with you in these difficult times,” he said, reminding the faithful not to forget the loving providence of the Lord.

“We are persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed,” he said, invoking “the Lord’s help, our hope, and the help of the Virgin Mary” to bring an end to the deadly violence in Haiti.

Last month, the prelate urged the international community to help to save the lives of Haitians in the wave of violence that continues to affect the Caribbean country, saying, “Don’t get tired of Haiti”.

Earlier this week, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack by heavily armed gang members on the town of Mirebalais, 30 miles northeast of the capital, that the authorities in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country said resulted in the killing and injuring of several residents.

The authorities said that the attack was carried out by members of the “Viv ansanm” gang, who also burnt several houses and vehicles, and fired automatic weapons.

The United Nations Security Council in 2023 passed a resolution for the Kenya-led MSS mission, aimed at combating gang violence and restoring stability in the country. Criminal gangs are seeking to take complete control of the capital, Port au Prince, and have launched several attacks, killing women and children among others.