Pope expresses sadness at Haiti president murder

Vatican City, Holy See, July 8 – Pope Francis on Thursday expressed his sadness at the “odious” assassination of Haiti’s president and condemned “all forms of violence”, according to a Vatican statement.

Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the pontiff, who is recovering in hospital following surgery, offered his condolences to the Haitian people and the widow of President Jovenel Moise.

“The Holy Father expresses his sadness and condemns all forms of violence as a means of resolving crises and conflicts,” Parolin said in a statement issued in French and in Spanish.

“He wishes for the dear people of Haiti a future of fraternal harmony, of solidarity and prosperity.”

Moise’s widow Martine was herself injured in the gun attack at their private residence in the capital Port-au-Prince early on Wednesday, which pitched the impoverished and crisis-hit Caribbean nation into uncertainty.

Pope Francis, 84, is expected to be in hospital for several more days following his three-hour surgery on Sunday for inflammation of the diverticula, pockets that develop in the lining of the intestine.