[Episcopal News Service] Several church leaders in the Diocese of Haiti are headed to trial in a weapons trafficking case, after an appeals court in the Caribbean island country reversed a lower court ruling that had dismissed the charges.
The latest developments in the ongoing criminal case create new uncertainty for a diocese that has been dealing for years with internal leadership battles. It also has been without a diocesan bishop since 2019.
In July 2022, the arms trafficking scandal ensnared at least a half dozen current and former diocesan officials, including the standing committee president at the time, the Rev. Jean Madoché Vil. The allegations stem from the seizure of weapons and ammunition found in containers that had been shipped to the country under the cover of the Diocese of Haiti’s religious customs exemption status.
The diocese denied involvement in the scheme, though a local human rights organization’s investigative report said several of the arrested suspects were connected to the diocese, including Jean Mary Jean Gilles, a diocesan accountant, and Manion Saint-Germain, a diocesan messenger. Others charged in the case included the Rev. Frantz Cole and the Rev. Fritz Désiré.
The charges against church leaders were dismissed in September 2023 by a judge who said there was not enough evidence linking them directly to the arms shipments, according to the Haitian Times. Then last month, Haiti’s Court of Appeal reopened the case and ordered the defendants to stand trial.
The reversal in the court case comes as The Episcopal Church has sought ways of supporting one of its largest dioceses by membership as the diocese struggles through its long-term leadership transition.
“The Episcopal Church is home to an active network of parishes, dioceses, governance leaders and presiding bishop’s staff that supports ministry and mission in the Episcopal Church of Haiti,” Rebecca Wilson, the presiding bishop’s chief of strategy, said in a written statement. “We are keenly aware that the allegations of arms trafficking against several clergy and lay members of the diocese weigh heavily on the hearts and minds of thousands of faithful Episcopalians in the diocese, adding an extra burden as they serve God tirelessly in the midst of the country’s current crisis.
“As the case makes its way through the Haitian Court of Appeal, the rest of The Episcopal Church will continue to support the ministry of the congregations, schools, and clinics, of the Episcopal Church of Haiti and to pray for peace and justice within the diocese and across the entire country.”
The diocese has been without a bishop since Bishop Jean Zaché Duracin retired without a successor in 2019. The result of its last bishop election was disputed, and there remains no clear timeline for calling a new bishop.
– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.