International Desk, (EFE).- The observance of All Souls’ Day mobilized millions of people worldwide on Monday, featuring stark contrasts marked by faith and violence: while believers in Haiti braved the siege of armed gangs to celebrate the Voodoo festival of Guédé, Pope Leo XIV led a moving mass from Rome, calling for an end to the «senseless violence of war.»
At the Kagouye cemetery in the Pétion-Ville commune, southeast of Port-au-Prince, an area not under direct gang control, several thousand Voodoo practitioners gathered for their annual gathering with the deceased.
In front of the Cross of Baron Samedi, leader of the Guédé spirits and the dead, dozens of Voodoo adherents gathered to offer tributes. They poured ‘clairin’ (rum distillate), lit candles, prayed, and recited chants to ask for employment, travel opportunities, and, above all, protection.
«Guédé is our heritage. It is our duty, when this day arrives, to come and commune with our ancestors and loved ones who have crossed over,» shared Allrich Jean, a Voodoo practitioner who prayed for the dead to open new paths.
«I ask the ‘mambos’ (Voodoo priestesses), the ‘houngans’ (priests), and everyone to join forces to unblock the country and lift it out of its current crisis,» Jean continued.
In Kagouye, the festivities took place under strict supervision by officers of the Haitian National Police (PNH), supported by an armored vehicle and local defense groups, amid threats from the Kraze Baryè armed group, led by Vitel’Homme Innocent.
However, Port-au-Prince’s historic Main Cemetery remains abandoned and closed. Since February 2024, the cemetery has been controlled by armed gangs who use it as a stronghold against security forces, preventing worshippers from entering.
Papal call against war and tributes across Asia
Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV remembered all victims of «senseless violence of war» on Monday, calling on world leaders to stop ongoing conflicts during the All Souls’ Day mass celebrated at Rome’s Verano cemetery.
«We wish to pray now for those who have recently lost a loved one, especially those whose loved ones have been torn from them by the senseless violence of war,» the pontiff lamented during his homily before the assembled faithful.
«May the tears of so many mothers, so many children, and so many elderly people touch the consciences of those who have the power to silence the weapons!» exclaimed the religious leader.
Before the service, the pontiff prayed at a grave in the cemetery and laid flowers featuring the colors of the Vatican. He also reviewed the Beatitudes, remembering Saint Francis of Assisi on the eighth centenary of his passing.
On the other side of the world, the day also mobilized India’s Christian community. Hundreds of devotees gathered at a Christian cemetery in Mumbai to pray among the graves, clean them, and light candles surrounded by flowers in memory of their departed relatives. EFE
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