Pope Francis speaks about struggles facing people of Haiti during Venice mass

Pope Francis has said he is thinking about the struggles facing the people of Haiti.

He was speaking to thousands of people who had gathered on St. Mark’s square in Venice to hear the pontiff offer mass.

“The population is in despair because of the collapse of the health care system, food shortages and violence that is forcing people to flee,” Pope Francis said.

Haiti has been in turmoil since the 2021 assassination of president Jovenel Moïse.

Gang violence is rife in the capital, with armed groups controlling most of Port-au-Prince.

In a report published last month, the United Nations described the situation in the Caribbean country as ‘cataclysmic’, saying more than 1,500 people had been killed in the first three months of this year.

On Thursday, prime minister Ariel Henry resigned and a transitional council was sworn in in a bid to restore order to a country, large parts of which are effectively lawless.

Pope Francis said he hoped this new body would help Haiti restore “the peace and stability it so badly needs”.

The pontiff also voiced concerns about the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza and expressed concerns about the welfare of the Rohingya.

Since a crackdown by the military in 2017, thousands of Muslim Rohingya have fled Myanmar, many of them living in squalid camps in Bangladesh. Almost two million are reportedly displaced within Myanmar.

“May the God of peace enlighten hearts so that the will for dialogue and reconciliation may grow in everyone,” he said.

In concluding his visit to Venice, the pope jokingly asked the congregation not to forget to pray for him as “this work is not easy”.

The trip represented an increasingly rare outing for the 87-year-old pontiff, who has had a number of health and mobility problems that have ruled out any foreign trips so far this year.