20649: Jepiem: Re: 20625: Kathleen: Re: 20616: Priests' salaries and their silence (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Jepiem@aol.com

There used to be a Ministry of the Cult in Haiti. I don't know if it still
exists and if not what fulfills its functions. It was always a known fact that
the State paid a subsidy to the Catholic church which was given a
responsibility in education. I have no idea whether or not this was considered salary for
the priests. This was established by the Concordat signed in 1860 between the
Vatican and the the Haitian government under Nicolas Geffrard. Looking at it
with a 20/20 retrospective vision many view it as a terrible arrangement for the
country, but it did bear some good fruits in a country where illiteracy was
the norm. I guess the proselytizing that came with it is too much for some to
take, in addition to the fact that these bretons priests for the majority had
little understanding of haitian culture and tried to impose their norms on the
population they were supposed to "educate". (some would argue they did exactly
what they were assigned to do). This arrangement was unique for the Catholic
religion whose cozy relationship with successive bourgeois governments gave it
free reins to prosecute vodou particularly in the early forties under Elie
Lescot. Duvalier came in in 1957 and gave semi officialdom to vodou. He had the
picture of the pope on a wall behind his desk while he was reputed to have
vodou ceremonies in the palace. A truly liberated man indeed, if not from the
demon of power lust. Aristide the poor imitator (like the geai in Lafontaine's
fable) tried to do the same like in everything else, like a true amateur doing
more harm than good. When historians write the final chapter on his regime, it
should surprise no one if they find that that decision was a big factor in his
tumultuous downfall. What has that to do with the silence of the priests?
Obviously very little. Based on these historical facts, they should have been on
driving the bandwagon to get rid of Aristide.