Pope Francis calls Sister Paësie in Haiti to offer his support

By Jean-Charles Putzolu

Pope Francis made a phone call on Saturday afternoon to Sister Paësie, a French-born nun who has been in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince since 1999 to devote herself to the children of Cité Soleil, an extremely impoverished and densely populated commune located in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.

The Holy Father, who has made various appeals for Haiti, had wished to speak to the religious sister, who has dedicated her life to caring for her "little flock" in the slums, after having founded the 'Kizito Family' religious community there, which looks after some 2,500 children.

In an interview with Vatican News after the papal phone call, Sister Paësie offered a few details about her conversation with Pope Francis and the reality facing people in Haiti.

Q: Sister Paësie, how did you receive Pope Francis' call?

It was a great surprise for me. When my phone rang, I obviously didn't expect to be called by the Holy Father at all.

He sent me a message of encouragement and thanked me for being there for the children. He assured me of his prayers. That really touched me. What really struck me during that call was the Holy Father's voice. I felt a great sense of gentleness and kindness.

Obviously, I shared this with my community, my team, and some of the children. It brought joy and hope to many other people, because this appeal was not just for me; it was really a gesture towards the children and the poorest people of Haiti.

Q: You live every day against a backdrop of violence to help the poorest and most destitute. What is your day-to-day life like in the impoverished Cité Soleil?

For several years now, there have been clashes between armed groups in the working-class neighbourhoods. The gangs have become increasingly powerful, and are no longer confined to the working-class neighbourhoods, but are now present in practically every district of the capital and even in several provincial towns. As a result, people live in real terror of being mugged at any moment.

When a gang invades a neighbourhood, everyone has to run. You see people running with their children. Houses are set on fire, and this brings the country's activities to a complete standstill.

And as the poorest people live from day to day depending on the markets, when the situation worsens—when there's violence in the streets, shootings, and barricades—the markets can't function. This increases poverty and hunger enormously.

Q: After the kidnapping of six nuns last month, do you feel safe? And why are gangs targeting members of the clergy when the Church stands by the most vulnerable?

The kidnappings in Port-au-Prince affect all sections of society. Certain people can be particularly targeted, for example the very rich who are kidnapped in exchange for ransom.

Sometimes there are also ordinary passers-by who are kidnapped, passengers on public transport, people who are not particularly wealthy.

In the case of the six nuns, it's hard to say. I didn't get the feeling that the Church was particularly targeted. They acted in the hope of obtaining a ransom.

Sometimes it depends on the lifestyle of consecrated persons, priests, or nuns. In the minds of the people, some may be associated with the richest category. But you can't generalise. By virtue of their function, some religious are really close to the poor, others less so.

Q: The violence has displaced more than 300,000 people, according to UN figures. We know that most of these people are already living in precarious conditions in the slums. Where are the displaced families taking refuge?

This is a very important question, because in fact there are no sites, nothing really organised to take them in.

And almost every week, new neighbourhoods are invaded, so each time, thousands of people have to flee and often can't return home. Because once a neighbourhood has been invaded by a new gang, people don't feel safe. Many people have died trying to return home. Most of the time, people go to stay with a relative, who usually welcomes them at first. But this only lasts for a few days, because it quickly becomes unbearable.

The families are already in small houses, often with just one room and easily a dozen people. When a new family arrives, it's really very difficult.

Moreover, the people who arrive have often lost everything and are dependent on the host family. It's really complicated. We now see people sleeping in the streets with their children, something that didn't exist in Port-au-Prince before.

Q: You come to the aid of many street children, many abandoned children. Without the Church, without your action, what would their future be?

They would be left to fend for themselves and live in poverty. What would become of them? Only the Lord knows.

But a few days ago, some mothers said to me: "Sister, if it weren't for you, we'd all be dead." I think they were exaggerating a little, but that's how they feel. At least, that's what they expressed.

Sometimes I even wonder how people manage to survive when they go several days without eating and really have nothing.

The Lord is present. I think that's really the answer. He is present for them. He may be present through me or in some other way. But He never abandons His children.