- Forty parishes have closed in Port-au-Prince, 15 in the Central Plateau and 10 in Artibonite
- Catholic schools have been attacked, burned or converted into gang bases
- Religious houses have been seized or destroyed
- Gangs control 70 to 90 per cent of Port-au-Prince
Haiti’s Catholic Church has lost the use of dozens of parishes, schools and religious houses to armed gangs, Aid to the Church in Need reported in August 2026.
Bishop Joseph Gontrand Décoste of the Diocese of Jérémie said 40 parishes had closed in Port-au-Prince, 15 in the Central Plateau and 10 in Artibonite. Catholic schools had been attacked, burned or converted into gang bases, and religious houses had been seized or destroyed. Armed gangs control an estimated 70 to 90 per cent of the capital. In the first seven months of 2026, a seminarian was murdered and two priests kidnapped.
“We are the last remaining bulkhead – moral, ethical, spiritual and prophetic… That is why they want to eliminate us,” the bishop said. Yet he spoke of resilience: “We keep praying, singing and dancing. In Haiti we say: ‘As long as they haven’t cut off our head, we still have hope of wearing a hat.'”
“This capacity for resilience is possible thanks to the great support we feel from organisations like Aid to the Church in Need,” he said.
The property losses are only part of the crisis, but they matter. Church buildings in Haiti are schools, clinics, shelters and meeting places. When they are closed or occupied, whole communities lose services, and the value built up over generations can be destroyed or taken in a matter of weeks.
For Jamaica, Haiti’s crisis is a reminder that church property depends on security and the rule of law. Jamaican churches in areas affected by violence, and those receiving Haitian migrants, can help by keeping their buildings open as safe spaces where possible, securing records and titles, and working with police and community groups. Property is easier to protect before a crisis than to recover after one.
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