Abducted Haitian Nuns Released Amid Ongoing Gang Violence

Matthew Santucci/CNAWorld

January 25, 2024

Abducted Haitian Nuns Released Amid Ongoing Gang Violence

The release of the hostages comes after Pope Francis made a plea on their behalf during last Sunday’s Angelus.

In HaitiThe six Haitian religious sisters who were abducted on the morning of Jan. 19 in Haiti’s capital city of Port-au-Prince were released Thursday morning. 

The release of the six nuns, along with their two drivers, was confirmed to Vatican News by Archbishop Max Leroy Mésidor, the president of Haiti’s bishops’ conference, on Thursday. The nuns belonged to the St. Anne Congregation.

“We give thanks to God! Thank you for your support,” the bishop said to Vatican News. 

“This traumatic event has once again put our faith to the test, but it remains unshakable,” Bishop Pierre-André Dumas of Anse-à-Veau-Miragoâne said. 

“We cried out to God. He made us strong in our trials and brought our captives back to freedom,” Bishop Dumas continued. 

The Haitian outlet Rezo Nodwes reported that those responsible for the kidnapping had initially demanded a sum of $3 million in exchange for the release of the nuns and their driver. 

 Haiti has been in the throes of political instability and rampant violence, including rape, killings, and mass kidnappings, since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021, left a power vacuum in the already-fragile Caribbean country. 

Moïse faced charges of corruption and incompetence as well as calls to step down from opposition parties since his five-year term expired on Feb. 7, 2021. However, he refused to vacate the office, noting that the first year of his term coincided with an interim government. 

The capital city of Port-au-Prince has been the epicenter of widespread gang violence. According to a 2023 United Nations report, an estimated 80% of the capital is under gang control. The situation has deteriorated since acting Prime Minister and President Ariel Henry assumed office on July 20, 2021, on the basis that some, including Haiti’s most powerful gang leader, Jimmy Cherizier, say that Henry lacks a political mandate.