Catholic Dogma in Haiti

When I visited Haiti 36 years ago, the poverty was depressing. But the child slavery you now report should make us all mad as hell (Nov. 21). The Roman Catholic charities are doing yeoman’s work to try to stem a horrible practice. But the only root cause suggested in the article is a “200-year succession of corrupt and abusive governments.”

Many observers believe the most basic problem of that half of the island is its gross overpopulation. Surely it’s basic to the pressures that create child slavery. The work of Father Pierre St. Vistal’s mission is admirable, but the flip side of the picture is the unbending opposition of his Catholic Church to any public discussion of overpopulation and its effects on the welfare of the world. The plight of the children is caused by more than a “corrupt government.”

Stanford Taylor

Pasadena