A gruesome hours-long gang attack in Haiti a couple of days ago left dozens dead, torching homes and cars, while forcing thousands more to run for their lives, in the latest blow to a country that has suffered extreme violence for years.

Haiti’s Catholic Church has long been a powerful voice. But in recent years, the institution and its leaders have taken a step back from the spotlight as armed gangs target both members and religious leaders: Priest and nuns have been kidnapped, and church property, including hospitals and schools, have been ransacked.

A gang leader said the bloodshed was meant to cut the capital off from a rice-growing region of Haiti amid starvation conditions.