Catholic - Haiti Observer Blog

Before I start talking about this topic, I want to make it clear that I am not taking any side. So, please do not think that I deserve "Pe Lebrun" for this.

So what is the issue?

Recently I finid myself in the middle of an argument between two Haitians with different views about religion. You probably said that this is nothing new. Actually, this one was new to me because the argument was whether Voodoo or Christianity was better for Haiti.

Here is the argument I heard in support to Christianity:

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Can you think of anyone when Pope is calling right-wing, fundamentalist Christianity an "illness." Does the name "Pat" Robertson ring a bell?

If there is one thing that differentiate the new Pop from his predecessors is the way he preaches his message.His focus is fighting for economic equality. Pope Francis has shifted the focus of the Catholic Church to issues facing the poor and the sick, and away from anti-gay and anti-abortion that have dominated the Catholic religion

Like many other thing, Pope Francis does not seem to be impressed about Christian fundamentalism.

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African-Haitian Catholic nun, Mother Mary Lange, is finally receiving recognition for her role in Christianizing the greater parts of northern and southern America. She is being considered for sainthood.

Raised in Cuba, she immigrated to the U.S. and began the Oblate Sisters of Providence Order, the first African-American convent in 1829. She also started a private school to educate black children, who had no other access to an education.

Baltimore Archbishop, James Hector, admired her work and urged her to establish the Oblate Sisters of Providence, to prepare black girls to serve as nuns. He appointed her as Mother Superior of the order.

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Visitors to Cap-Haitian Cathedral in the town of the same name will discover the history of Haiti, before it became the first black-led republic in the world. Located on the main plaza, the church, now known as the Cathedral of Our Lady, is a well-maintained edifice that seems displaced in the garbage-strewn and dirty rest of town.

A piece of Haiti's slave history is remembered with the statue of revolutionary slave leader, Mackandal, situated on the cathedral site. He led a contingent of black slaves that had fled plantations, where they had labored cutting down sugar cane. The slaves fighting under Mackandal were called Maroons, a reference to the blood they shed while hewing sugar cane. Mackandal was killed on the plaza in 1758, 46 years before Haiti won its freedom from the French.

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The government of Haiti (GOH) and Haitian culture does not support the lesbian-gay-bisexual-transsexual (LGBT) movement. In fact they openly oppose LGBT rights, having expressed their disapproval as far back as 1986.

The Roman Catholic Church and its affiliated groups have also condemned existence and practice of same-sex relationships. But one faith does show acceptance of LGBT people, Voodoo believers. LGBT persons are welcomed to participate in ritualistic rites, and are allowed to ascend the hierarchy as long as they prove themselves worthy.

The Diaspora, in New York City, in 2007 founded social service agency, Haitian Lesbian and Gay Alliance, (HLGA) to support the LGBT community and raise awareness in Haiti. Encouraged by the HLGA's public endorsement, a sprinkling of Haitian gays participated in a gay civil-rights march in 2008, the first of its kind in Haiti.

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Guillaume Fabre Nocolas Geffrard or simply Fabre Geffrard was the 10th President of Haiti who sworn in as the head of the Republic in 1859 and stayed in power till 1867. Few of his important achievements include placating peasants through revival of state-owned land selling practice and he also ended the differences with Roman Catholic Church. As the schism was erased, the Roman Catholic Church eventually played a very crucial role in improving the education system in Haiti.

The first thing Fabre Geffrard did after coming to power was that he reduced the army size from 30,000 to its half at 15,000 and at the same time created presidential guards who were trained by Fabre Geffrard himself. In 1859, the National Law School was founded by him and the Medical School started by Boyer was reinstituted. Several lycea were established and modernized by his two ministers François Elie-Dubois and Jean Simon Elie-Dubois. In 1863, the colonial rule of building and maintaining roads were reintroduced. In 1861 African-Americans were allowed to settle in Haiti.

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Title I. Abolishes slavery, grants residents full citizenship rights, protects property, and administers the death penalty for murder.

Title II. Sets up organization of government, appointing Henry Christophe President and Commander-in-Chief of the military. Empowers him to appoint his successor, sign treaties, and declare war.

Title III. Establishes Council of State and its functions under the President. Creates an Office of the Budget, presided over by a Budget Finance Director.

Title IV. Budget Finance Director shall also handle administration of Navy and Interior.

Title V. Creates a Secretary of State responsible for all intra- and inter-departmental correspondence, preparation of official government documents, and co-signatory duties.

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The Constitution of Saint-Domingue Haiti was signed in 1801 by Governor-General for Life Toussaint L'Ouverture, the ruler of Hispaniola before Haiti became a republic.

Title I. Refers to the colony of Saint-Domingue, the seat of cities and neighboring islands, subject to French rule. Sets up the divisions of departments, arrondissements, and parishes.

Title II. Abolishes slavery, introduces anti-discrimination rules, and employment rights.

Title III. Establishes Christianity as the official religion of the colony. Forbids men of God from organizing for political reasons.

Title IV. Protects the legal rights of spouses as long as they remain faithful and their children born of their sanctified or civil union.

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The Catholic cardinals picked a new pope among themselves on Wednesday, March 13, 2013. He is Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. The new pope,Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, will be called Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.

New Pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio' s First Pray 13.03.2013

White Smoke Rises Over Vatican, the Catholic Church has made history. The New Pope is the first non-European leader of the church in more than 1,000 years.

Who is Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio?

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