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John Paul II visited Haiti on 9 March 1983, when the country was ruled by Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier. He bluntly criticised the poverty of the country, directly addressing Baby Doc and his wife, Michèle Bennett in front of a large crowd of Haitians:
Nations visited by Pope John Paul II During his reign, Pope John Paul II ("The Pilgrim Pope") made 146 pastoral visits within Italy and 104 foreign trips, more than all previous popes combined. In total he logged more than 1,167,000 km (725,000 mi). He consistently attracted large crowds on his travels, some among largest ever assembled. While some of his trips (such as to the United States ...
Widespread discontent began manifesting further in March 1983, when Pope John Paul II visited Haiti. The pontiff declared that "things must change in Haiti", and he called on "all those who have power, riches and culture so that they can understand the serious and urgent responsibility to help their brothers and sisters". [21]
Pope John Paul II arrives in Haiti, becoming the first Pope to visit the country 27 August: The constitution is amended, creating the post of State Minister and allowing the President to name his successor 1985: 6 June: President for Life Duvalier amends the constitution to allow the creation of the post of Prime Minister of Haiti: July
Discontent and economic hopelessness reached a head when Pope John Paul II visited Haiti in March 1983. Declaring that "something must change here," in a speech in Port-au-Prince, the Pope called for equitable distribution of income and a more egalitarian social and political structure.
The mid-1980s marked a profound change in the church's stance on issues related to peasants and the urban poor. Reflecting this change was the statement by Pope John Paul II, during a visit to Haiti in 1983, that "Things must change here". [4] Galvanized by the Vatican's concern, Catholic clergy and lay workers called for improved human rights.
The term new evangelization was popularized by Pope John Paul II [5] who used it during an address to the Latin American bishops in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on May 9, 1983. He declared that the fifth centenary of the first evangelization of the Americas (1492–1992) should mark the beginning of a new era of evangelization, "evangelization will ...
Pope John Paul II visited Haiti in 1983. In a speech in the capital of Port-au-Prince , he criticized the government of Jean-Claude Duvalier . It is believed that the impact of this speech on the Catholic bureaucracy in Haiti contributed to his removal in 1986.