The Episcopal Conference of Haiti (CEH) has delivered its traditional Christmas message to priests, religious brothers and sisters, lay faithful, and all people of goodwill, which we are publishing in full for our readers...

“Dear brothers and sisters,

The Christmas and New Year holidays are approaching. We are already contemplating the mystery of the Incarnation with our gaze turned toward our suffering people, journeying through the dark night of uncertainty and pain. Remembering that most holy night when the angels proclaimed the good news of the birth of the Savior (cf. Luke 2:11), we, your Catholic Bishops of Haiti, wish to send you a joyful message of peace, love, and hope. We want this Christmas 2025 and New Year 2026 message to reach you in your dignity and your capacity to rise again, always achieving unexpected feats.

The Son of God is born in the shadow of poverty, in a dark manger, without finding a home or a welcoming land in the heart of a suffering world. This image is a parable that resonates deeply with us where we are.

The mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God opens us to hope, particularly in this Jubilee Year of Hope, which is drawing to a close. Indeed, the incarnate Son of God fulfills God's promise to give his people and all humanity a savior and a hope (cf. Jeremiah 29:11). The incarnate Son of God thus becomes our hope (cf. 1 Tim 1:1). This promise is also for us, the Haitian people. We await its full realization in our history and in our lives as a people who have suffered.

As pastors, we cannot turn our gaze away from the human tragedy our people are experiencing. It challenges us and urges us to call for Hope, not as naive optimism, nor as a denial of difficult realities, but as responsible action grounded in faith and a sincere search for lasting solutions. As 'Pilgrims of Hope' we are not merely spectators of a distant monotony; we are active participants in a journey toward a better tomorrow.

The trials our Nation is enduring have deeply wounded our collective soul. But in the darkest hours, the Christian faith invites us to lift our eyes to the One who is coming, the light of the nations, Jesus Christ, "sent by the Father to heal and save mankind." His coming disarms hearts and opens a path of light in the midst of the night. It is precisely this light that allows us, even today, to believe that the night will never be the final act of our story. God loves us all, and evil will not prevail.

Therefore, we invite everyone, according to their vocation and responsibility, to become artisans of peace: priests, religious men and women, lay people, young people, and adults. May each be a ray of love and a sign of fraternity in the midst of our current difficulties ! The recent example of our national football team's qualification—which we congratulate and encourage—shows us that, even in adversity, our people possess a remarkable capacity for resilience when they choose unity and solidarity. This success reminds us that no darkness is invincible.

Faced with the glaring limitations of our state institutions, the security emergency, and the structural violence that undermines our society, we call upon all the vital forces of the Nation—namely, political leaders, social actors, and public and private institutions—to rise above partisan interests and prioritize peace, life, and respect for human dignity. May no decision, no word, and no action plunge our country further into violence or chaos.

Therefore, based on the principle that the Constitution is the 'law of laws' regarding the organization of power and sits at the top of the hierarchy of norms concerning legal stability, thus offering a stability that contrasts sharply with chaos, we urge all political actors to be guided by the 1987 Constitution and to follow the fruitful Haitian tradition on the eve of February 7, 2026, the date marking the end of the mandate of the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT).

As for the elections, which we hope will be democratic, inclusive, and transparent, they will only be so if the state authorities work tirelessly to establish a secure environment throughout the country. Security is the priority for organizing well-prepared elections. While we speak, it is incumbent upon national and international actors to expedite the actions necessary to create this essential condition for holding general elections.

As Pope Leo XIV affirmed, 'the path to peace requires hearts trained to recognize the common good.' On the road that must lead us to peace and In the elections, we call for a new kind of leadership, one based on integrity, service, and selflessness. True civic engagement can extend to a form of martyrdom, not through physical death, but through the costly truth and the courage to relinquish privileges to serve the people. Haiti needs men and women capable of renouncing corruption, resisting easy money, refusing the manipulation of the masses, and becoming servants of the common good.

It is therefore urgent to make democratic institutions functional and to work toward building a state where order, justice, and peace prevail.

We entrust our beloved Haiti to Christ Jesus, Prince of Peace. May the light of the birth of the Savior of all humanity illuminate our path and rekindle in each of us the hope of a New Year that brings the change so desired for our country.

May the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of our people, protect the Nation, comfort troubled hearts, and support those who work for Peace!

Merry Christmas 2025 and a Happy New Year 2026 in the Peace of Christ Jesus!

Given in Port-au-Prince, on December 8, 2025, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary."

Signatures of the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Haiti (CEH) :

Archbishop Max Léroys MESTIDOR, Metropolitan Archbishop of Port-au-Prince / President of the CEH; Bishop Pierre André DUMAS, Bishop of Anse-à-Veau and Miragoâne / Vice-President of the CEH; Bishop Joseph Gonfrand DÉCOSTE, SJ, Bishop of Jérémie / Secretary General of the CEH; Bishop Désinord JEAN

Bishop of Hinche / Treasurer of the Episcopal Conference of Haiti (CEH); Chibly Cardinal LANGLOIS Bishop of Les Cayes / Counselor; Bishop Marie-Erick Glandas TOUSSAINT

Bishop of Jacmel; Archbishop Launay SATURNE Metropolitan Archbishop of Cap-Haïtien; Bishop Charles Peters BARTHÉLUS Bishop of Port-de-Paix; Bishop Yves Marie PÉAN, CSC Bishop of Gonaïves; Bishop Sander Louis-JEAN Auxiliary Bishop of Port-au-Prince; Bishop Quesnel ALPHONSE, SMM

Bishop of Fort-Liberté; Bishop Wismick JEAN-CHARLES, SMM

Auxiliary Bishop of Port-au-Prince.

HL/ HaitiLibre