24509: Peter Dailey: Queries (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Peter Dailey <phdailey@msn.com>

Both former President Aristide and a group purporting to speak for Fanmi
Lavalas have asserted recently that since Aristide's departure, 10,000 of
his followers have been killed. Can anyone tell me the basis of this figure,
either online or off? Almost all of the press coverage has focussed on the
deaths that followed in the wake of "Operation Baghdad" six months ago and
my impression is that the high estimate for this has been 400.

I'm also curious about statements in AHP and similar venues that journalists
and a human rights organization investigated La Scerie shortly after the
alleged incident took place and determined that the allegations were
meritless. I would be very grateful if anyone could identify the name of the
journalists and human rights organization for me.

And while I'm at it, in the interview referred to, Aristide said that
because the Haitian Constitution barred his ever serving again as president,
at the expiration of his term he would serve Haiti as a priest. I probably
know even less about Catholicism than I do about Vodou. Can anyone explain
what he meant? I recall  from several past list discussions that there
evidently is no such thing as a "defrocked" priest, and that once a priest
always a priest, etc. But can a priest with a wife and two children
administer the sacraments, etc? Does such a person have to be affiliated
with an order and submit to the discipline of a hierarchy? Always assuming
that he meant he wanted to serve Haiti as a Catholic priest and not some
other kind.

Mesi anpil.
Peter Dailey