Rev. John J. Burke, the National Catholic Welfare Conference, and the American Occupation of Haiti (1915–34)

In 1915, the United States landed marines in Haiti, a Catholic nation tied by concordat with the Vatican. In 1921, Paulist priest John J. Burke, general secretary of the National Catholic Welfare Conference, began lobbying the federal government on behalf of the Church in Haiti. From 1925 through 1931, he served as official representative of the Vatican and Haitian hierarchy to that government regarding the occupation. The author recounts Burke’s efforts for the Church in Haiti that culminated in the American government’s decision to withdraw from the island nation.