The Haitian Conference of Bishops, the highest echelon of the Catholic Church in the country, called on Haitians to ?explore the way of unity, dialogue, and discussions.?
?Let all of us, inside the boat, unite not to destroy it but to save it,? wrote the clerics in a communiqué.
In that communiqué addressed to the Haitian people and the international community, the bishops voice their concerns about the current crisis. They consider that the country is on the verge of collapse. ?We see on the horizon the hideous profile of a civil, fratricidal war.? They also compare the current situation to the ?imminent sinking of a boat.?
In light of this tragedy, the bishops urged the political leaders and regime supporters to focus, not on an individual, but on the nation. They articulated three scenarios to resolve the present crisis: “Resign voluntarily from power, in the higher interest of the nation; embrace a magnanimous decision to shorten the government’s term, and call for early general elections; implement deep reforms in order the make the government credible and reinstate trust.” According to the members of the Bishops Conference, “everything should be considered, and nothing excluded.” However, the bishops’ preference would be for a peaceful and constitutional transition of power.
The Conference of Bishops asked the opposition whether it had done everything it could or even should have done, to avoid the present situation. “To fail the captain of the boat is, after all, to expose all those aboard to the unfortunate consequences of endless hurdles,” says the communiqué. The bishops? wish is that when those in power finally give it up, that will take place under the best circumstances, during a smooth transition rather than as a result of an uprooting.