Catholic Church in Haiti holds day of prayer for release of 6 kidnapped nuns, others
The Haitian Conference of Religious (CHR) and the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince held a day of prayer, meditation, and Eucharistic adoration Jan. 24 to intercede for the release of the people kidnapped by an armed gang, including six nuns from the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Anne.
Father Morachel Bonhomme, president of the CHR, confirmed Jan. 19 the hijacking of the bus that was transporting the nuns and others.
“We invite priests, men and women religious, and the lay faithful to organize in all parishes and communities an unceasing prayer chain for the release of those kidnapped and their return to their families,” wrote Bonhomme and Metropolitan Archbishop of Port-au-Prince Max Mésidor in a Jan. 22 joint statement.
They also strongly condemned this “heinous and criminal” act as well as the rest of the kidnappings that take place in the Caribbean country “with total impunity.” They pointed out that these acts cause consternation among all citizens of goodwill and tarnish the country’s image internationally.
The Church in Haiti expressed its solidarity with the Congregation of Sisters of St. Anne, with the relatives of the rest of the kidnapped people, and with all those affected by violence carried out by crime gangs that act with impunity — and that even control 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
