CV NEWS FEED // An archbishop confirmed that six Haitian nuns and their companions who were kidnapped last week were released yesterday in the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince.
Archbishop Max Leroy Mésidor of Port-au-Prince confirmed the nuns’ release to Associated Press (AP) on January 25.
“Thanks to God for helping us,” Mésidor said. The archbishop confirmed that the “group was released late Wednesday, and everyone is in good condition,” AP reported:
He declined to say whether a ransom was paid or to provide other details, including who was responsible.
On January 19 six nuns from the congregation of the Sisters of Sainte-Anne were traveling through Port-au-Prince via bus when gunmen overtook the bus and drove to an unknown location. The bus driver and a young girl traveling with the nuns were also kidnapped.
Port-au-Prince has been the center of much political tension and gang activity in recent months.
Local news outlet The Miami Herald reported last week that the gunmens’ kidnapping of the nuns “is the latest act by armed groups in Haiti, which last year were blamed for the killing of nearly 4,000 Haitians and at least 3,000 kidnappings, according to the United Nations. In recent days, attacks have been intensifying in the country’s capital.”
Haiti has been in an economic and safety crisis since Haiti’s former president Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in July of 2021. Gang activity is prevalent throughout the country and in an effort to make money, gang members kidnap foreigners and hold them for ransom.
Paradoxically, the few remaining foreign citizens in Haiti are mostly Christian volunteers who are working to alleviate poverty and serve those suffering from it.
