Pope Leo XIV discusses Haiti crisis with Prime Minister Fils-Aimé

NEW YORK — Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on May 8 as Haiti continues to grapple with escalating gang violence, political instability and a deepening humanitarian crisis. 

The Vatican said the meeting also highlighted relations between Haiti and the Holy See and the Catholic Church’s role in supporting Haitians during the ongoing crisis.

After meeting with the pope, Fils-Aimé also held talks with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s foreign minister.

During the trip, the prime minister attended a Mass for peace in Haiti and inaugurated Haiti’s new embassy to the Holy See near the Vatican.

“We want to organize elections, ensure security and move from receiving humanitarian aid to entering commerce and the market,” Fils-Aimé said after the Mass for peace in Haiti, which Parolin presided over at the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

“Looking at the current international situation,” Parolin said in his homily, “we can all recognize how much our world needs God’s presence and, therefore, the gift of peace.”

Haiti remains mired in a multidimensional crisis marked by gang expansion, mass displacement and political uncertainty.

The country is awaiting a revised electoral calendar after authorities delayed elections initially scheduled for Aug. 30. Prime Minister Fils-Aimé recently acknowledged that security conditions are not sufficient to organize credible elections in the near term.

Security remains the principal obstacle to voting. Armed gangs control most neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince and continue expanding into other regions, including Artibonite and parts of the Centre and Southeast departments.

Some Catholic leaders have openly questioned whether elections can be free and credible under the current conditions. Earlier this year, Bishop Pierre-André Dumas, vice president of Haiti’s bishops’ conference, warned that upcoming elections risk failing to meet democratic standards if insecurity persists.

The Catholic Church remains one of Haiti’s most influential institutions and has repeatedly called for peace, dialogue and stronger international support as the crisis worsens.

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