Pope Leo urges end to violence in Haiti

Pope Leo on Sunday invited the faithful, gathered in St. Peter's Square, to pray for peace and appealed for the release of hostages and an end to the "increasingly desperate" situation in Haiti.

Speaking from the window of his study overlooking the square, the pontiff also welcomed the peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, signed by the countries leaders on Saturday.

Haiti’s government announced Saturday that it is implementing a three-month state of emergency in the country’s central region as gang violence surges.

The region — known as Haiti’s rice basket — has been under attack in recent years with gangs killing farmers or forcing them to abandon their fields as they raze nearby communities.

The United Nations’ human rights office noted that from October 2024 to the end of June 2025, more than 1,000 people have been killed, more than 200 injured and 620 kidnapped in the Artibonite and Central departments and nearby areas. Gang violence also has displaced more than 239,000 people in Haiti’s central region, according to the U.N.

In late April, dozens of people waded and swam across the country’s largest river in a desperate attempt to flee gangs.