PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – Former prime minister of Haiti, Jean Henry Céant, says he does not support the move by the Bishop of the Diocese of Anse-à-Veau and Miragoâne, Mgr Pierre André Dumas, to serve as a mediator to prevent possible chaos in Haiti as the mandate of the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) comes to an end on February 7.
Céant, who served as prime minister for a seven-month duration before his government lost a vote of no confidence on March 18, 2019, said in a letter to Mgr Dumas, who is also the Vice-President of the Haitian Episcopal Conference, that he learnt of his decision to serve as a mediator “with profound astonishment, mixed with sadness and dismay”.
“by offering yourself as a mediator, you are entering a highly political arena,” Céant wrote in his January 11, 2026, letter.
Last week, the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) called on all stakeholders in Haiti to demonstrate patriotism above all other sentiments if Haitians are to determine their own destiny.
“Given the sustained efforts of CARICOM and the international community in supporting a Haitian-led process, the EPG is deeply concerned by the tardiness of the stakeholders to find common ground and coalesce around a Haitian-led consensual agreement on an alternative transitional process despite the points of convergence in the multiple proposals made public,” the EPG said in a statement.
In his letter to Laurent Saint-Cyr, President pro tempore and Coordinator of the CPT, Mgr Dumas said that at least 15 coalitions from the political, economic, and civil society sectors “have asked me to lead a mediation effort to reach a consensus on establishing an Executive government by February 7, 2026….
“Although I am still recovering, after careful consideration and reflection, I accept, with gravity and awareness, to lead this mediation, because no sacrifice is too great to prevent the country from descending into chaos after February 7.”
The Roman Catholic Church official said that as part of this mediation, “I would like to meet with you on Thursday, January 22nd, or Friday, January 23rd, at your convenience, to update you on this process and to obtain the official position of the CPT.
“You, as a politician, and I, as a shepherd, must combine our efforts to avoid the chaos that threatens the country if we do not anticipate the events following February 7th. I continue to keep the CPT in my prayers,” Mgr Dumas wrote.
But Céant, 69, who last November was sanctioned by the Canadian government for his involvement in alleged human rights violations and supporting criminal gangs, said as a former economic advisor to the Catholic Church, and a political leader aware of the institutional and national implications of any public stance, “I cannot hide from you that this initiative has profoundly offended me.
“Never, in my memory as a believer, have I felt so disconcerted by the position of a prelate whom I have long respected, admired, and held in high esteem within the clergy. The Church remains for me a spiritual and moral refuge, and it is precisely in this place of consolation that this action has caused me such a deep wound.”
He recalled the events of March 9, 2024, in which he said the Roman Catholic Bishop “co-signed a document condemning, without prior trial, fellow citizens deemed ‘sanctioned’ who had nonetheless placed their trust and veneration in you.
“I want to believe that this act was committed against your better judgment, but it nonetheless marked a painful rupture between you and a segment of the faithful, leaving a wound that remains raw within the Church community.
”Today, by offering yourself as a mediator, you are entering a highly political arena, even though your past position places you, in effect, among the stakeholders,” Céant wrote, adding “my point is not about the principle of mediation itself, which I consider necessary in any society in crisis, but about the credibility of the proposed mediator in the specific context the country is experiencing.
“Under these circumstances, allow me to express my doubts about your ability to embody the neutrality, moral integrity, and detachment essential for credible and truly calming mediation.”
Céant said he is aware that the country’s situation “is unfolding within a context of intense international pressure and critical institutional deadlines.
“It is precisely to prevent these constraints from resulting in hasty, contested, or perceivably imposed choices that I believe it is necessary to exercise extreme caution in the mediations undertaken, especially when they touch upon the core of institutional legitimacy and recall the processes that led to the establishment of the current CPT.
”Therefore, in the best interests of the country and to preserve what remains of institutional credibility, I respectfully appeal to the discernment of the other members of the CPT to reject this mediation proposal, which is exclusionary and, as it stands, cannot contribute to a just and peaceful resolution of the current crisis.”
Céant said that Mgr Dumas still has “an essential role to play: that of a pastor, a man of prayer, conscience, and repentance, capable of uniting people through humility and discretion rather than through self-promotion.
“A resolute return to prayer, confession, and the pursuit of forgiveness would, in my view, be an act of profound spirituality and reconciliation with the people of God.
”I remain convinced that the faith of this people remains intact. It is precisely to preserve it that I express this position, with conviction but without hatred, with firmness but without denying the respect due to your august office,” Céant wrote.
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