By Haiti Action Committee
Haiti Action Committee expresses our condolences to the people of Haiti on the passing of Bishop Joseph Willy Romélus. Bishop Romélus was a tireless advocate for the poor and a champion of human rights. He used his powerful voice, rooted in liberation theology, to speak out against injustice, even when doing so came at great personal risk.
In the early 1990s, following the U.S.-orchestrated military coup d’état against Haiti’s first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Bishop Romélus courageously spoke out against the terror unleashed by the perpetrators of the coup. On February 25, 1993, at a memorial service for the victims of the Neptune ferry disaster, in which about 1,000 people died, Bishop Romélus condemned the government’s negligence and its disregard for the lives of the poor. Soon after his comments, he was physically attacked by police and paramilitary thugs, highlighting the danger for those who dared to challenge the authority of the coup regime.
Despite such threats, Bishop Romélus never wavered. He remained a colleague and supporter of President Aristide, whose commitment to those most marginalized in Haiti closely aligned with Romélus’s values. While others remained silent, Bishop Romélus stood firm in defense of democracy and justice.
Pierre Labossiere, a co-founder of the Haiti Action Committee, put it this way in speaking of Bishop Romélus: “This beautiful, courageous, visionary man was the immovable pillar that anchored Haiti’s popular movement for social justice, dignity and national reconstruction. His passing is a huge loss, especially in these times.”
Bishop Romélus, presente!
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Haiti Action Committee
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