Beloved brothers and sisters,

1. Faithful to our mission to accompany the People of God, to enlighten men and women of good will, and to be in solidarity with all our compatriots, especially those who are suffering, we, the Catholic Bishops of Haiti, consider it essential to fix the position of the Church in the current situation of the country, a situation of extreme distress: following Christ, the Church is always on the side of law, truth, justice and respect of life and human dignity. This is our steadfast and unalterable position, whatever the circumstances. However, although this is clear and unmistakable, we can add two observations:

Believes that the constitutional provisions relating to the length of Mr. Jovenel Moses' term in office must be understood in light of the restrictive interpretation imposed on parliamentarians on 13 January 2020;

Notes, therefore, that the term of President Jovenel Moise is due to end on 7 February 2021, i.e., "five years ... following the date of the elections";

Considers that the Provisional Electoral Council unilaterally appointed by President Jovenel Moise has no legitimacy to organise the next elections;