International Religious Freedom Report 2016: Haiti

The Haiti chapter of the United States Department of State's International Religious Freedom Report for 2016, prepared by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and submitted to Congress under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

It sets out the legal framework: the constitution provides for the free exercise of all religions and protects against compelled membership of a religious group. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Religious Denominations administers the laws on religious groups, and its Bureau of Worship registers religious buildings, clergy and missionaries. Registration confers standing in legal disputes, tax-exempt status and customs exemption, and civil recognition of marriage and baptismal certificates. An 1860 concordat with the Holy See remains in force, under which the Vatican approves and selects a set number of bishops with the government's consent and the state pays Catholic priests a monthly stipend.

On government practice, the report records that Vodou, registered since 2003, still could not have its marriage and baptism ceremonies recognised; that the ministry neither acted on nor explained its inaction over a pending application to register Islam, so Muslims had to obtain civil marriage licences while Christian clergy could conduct recognised ceremonies; that the state continued to fund the upkeep of Catholic churches and some Catholic schools while the Protestant Federation said in May the same support remained unavailable to other groups; and that limited institutional capacity restricted religious services for Muslim prisoners, particularly outside Port-au-Prince.

On societal respect, it reports that a mob decapitated a Vodou houngan in the town of Toman in May, in the belief that he had caused two deaths, and that no one was charged. Vodou leaders reported continued social stigmatisation, and the National Confederation of Haitian Vaudouisants said teachers and administrators in Catholic and Protestant schools at times openly condemned Vodou culture as contrary to the Bible.

The final section records United States policy: embassy officials met the minister of foreign affairs and religious denominations to press for equal treatment and for registration of groups that had completed the procedure, and met faith-based non-governmental organisations and Protestant, Catholic and Vodou leaders.