Bishops Postpone Visit to Haiti

The civil unrest in Haiti has resulted in postponement of a four-day visit to the Caribbean island by Los Angeles Archbishop Roger Mahony and two other U.S. Roman Catholic bishops that had been scheduled to begin today. A stage of siege was imposed Friday but anti-government demonstrations continued through the weekend.

Bishop Francois Gayot, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Haiti, advised the National Conference of Catholic Bishops office in Washington that the Haitian bishops will remain in their dioceses “with their people at this time of difficulty.” Mahony said in a statement that he expects the bishops will renew their invitation later for talks on “mutual pastoral concerns” about Haitians in Haiti and those living in the United States.