Six religious Sisters kidnapped by armed assailants in Haiti on 19 January have been freed.
The group was released late on Wednesday, 25 January, and all the nuns are in good condition, the archbishop of Port-au-Prince toldTheAssociated Press.
“Thanks to God for helping us,” said Archbishop Max Leroy Mésidor. He declined to confirm whether a ransom was paid or to provide further details, such as who was responsible for the kidnapping.
The abduction took place in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, when the six Sisters of Saint Anne were travelling to a university. The gunmen stopped the bus and took the driver, the Sisters and a seventh traveller, to an undisclosed location, reports Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
The area where the kidnapping occurred is territory fought over by two rival gangs: the Grande Ravine and Village de Dieu gangs.
Bishop Pierre-André Dumas of Anse-à-Veau and Miragoâne had condemned the kidnapping, describing it as “an odious and barbaric act that shows no respect for the dignity of these consecrated women who give themselves wholeheartedly and completely to God to educate and form the young, the poorest and the most vulnerable of our society”.
Bishop Dumas called on “all of Haitian society to join hands to form a true circle of solidarity around all the country’s hostages, in order to obtain their release and grant them a swift, safe return to their families and communities”.
Amid mounting concerns about the welfare of the nuns, the Pope joined various international voices in calling for their release during the 21 January Angelus address.
In December 2023, Archbishop Max Leroys Mesidor of Port-au-Prince spoke to ACN about the situation in Haiti, describing it as an “infernal domination of armed groups and the indifference of political actors”.
Various Church members in Haiti have found themselves caught up in the country’s troubles, sometimes with tragic consequences. In June 2022, Sister Luísa Del’Orto, an Italian missionary, was shot dead in Haiti.
Five priests were also kidnapped in the country in 2022 and two in 2023, but they have all since been released.
“We hope to see the support of the international community for disarmament and the recovery of our country,” the archbishop said.
Photo: A group of Catholic nuns hold hands at a prayer rally during a three day Charismatic Congress in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 23 April 2001 .The rally was held to try and promote peace in the impoverished Caribbean nation. (Photo by THONY BELIZAIRE/AFP via Getty Images.)
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