Haitian Christians Are Asked To Pray For Six Nuns Abducted in Broad Daylight
Armed gang refused an offer by a local bishop to serve as a substitute for the abducted nuns.
At the end of his Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square on Jan. 21, Pope Francis begged for the release of six nuns abducted on Jan. 19 in the capital of Haiti. "I received with pain the news of the kidnapping in Haiti of a group of people, including six nuns. In asking for their release, I pray for social harmony in the country," said the pontiff, who urged that "the violence that "it causes so much suffering to that beloved people."
Since then, the nuns’ abductors have demanded a ransom of $3 million to obtain their release. The nuns belong to the Congregation of the Sisters of Sainte-Anne. Their male driver and another person were also abducted in the brazen operation that occurred in daylight hours and in the vicinity of the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince. The group was heading by bus to an educational center in the capital, according to the Haitian Conference of Religious (CHR).
"These kidnappings are one more and fill the consecrated people and good will of Haiti with sadness and fear," the CRH declared, which "in this painful moment" invited all Christians of Haiti to "form a chain of prayer".
Bishop Pierre-André Dumas off Anse-à-Veau and Miragoâne condemned "with vigor and firmness this hateful and barbaric act, which does not even respect the dignity of these consecrated women who give themselves wholeheartedly to God to educate and form to the young, the poorest and most vulnerable in our society". He offered himself as a substitute to no avail
Armed gangs have beset the impoverished country for years. The lack of public order has even reached the highest levels of government. In 2021, Jovenel Moïse, the 43rd president of Haiti, was assassinated at his residence in Port-au-Prince by a group of 28 foreign mercenaries, mostly Colombians.
In early October 2023, the United Nations Security Council approved an international police mission to Haiti. The UN Multinational Security Support mission will be led by Kenya and will coordinate with the Haitian National Police. Jamaica, Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda will take part in the mission. Kenyan Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua said that Spain, Senegal and Chile may also deploy their security personnel. The United States has pledged $100 million in funding and $100 million in enabling support.