By Matters India Reporter
Vatican City, Jan 21, 2024: Pope Francis on January 21 called for the release of hostages, including six nuns, who were kidnapped on a bus in Haiti two days ago. The Pontiff also said he was praying for social harmony in the Caribbean country.
Armed gunmen on January 19 kidnapped the nuns belonging to the Sisters of Sainte-Anne congregation in Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti.
The armed gunmen stopped and boarded a minibus the nuns travelled and took all passengers and the driver hostage. The bus was going to a university in the capital. The kidnappers drove off to an unknown destination with their hostages.
“I have learned with sorrow of the kidnapping, in Haiti, of a group of people, including six religious sisters,” Pope Francis said after his weekly Angelus prayer.
“In my heartfelt plea for their release, I pray for social concord in the country, and I invite everyone to bring an end to the violence, which is causing a great deal of suffering to that dear population,” he added.
Vatican News reported January 21 that the Haitian capital has been struggling to quell an outbreak of violence that has led to some neighborhoods being totally sealed off from access.
The kidnapping was confirmed the Haitian Conference of Religious in a press release. It was denounced by Bishop Pierre-André Dumas of Anse-à-Veau and Miragoâne. “This latest odious and barbaric act 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,” the prelate said.
The bishop calls for the release of the hostages and an end to “these deplorable and criminal practices.” Bishop Dumas also urged the 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.”
He also offered himself to be taken as a hostage for the release of the nuns and other hostages.
Violence has been escalating for months in Haiti as gangs jockey for power and seek to put pressure on interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry, ahead of the February 7 expiry of a political accord that consolidated his power.
The violence comes ahead of a court decision expected on January 26 on a Kenyan-led multinational force to address gang violence in the country, one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere.
Since January14, armed gangs have stepped up their murderous activities, while demonstrations against the lack of security have been organized across the country.
On January 11 in the Solino district in the south of Port-au-Prince violent exchanges of gunfire took place between rival gangs, including an armed group from the neighboring Bel-Air district. According to witnesses, the clashes left around twenty people dead.
Other districts of the capital, Carrefour Péan and Delmas 24, were also targeted by gang attacks. In the streets of Port-au-Prince, residents have set up barricades to protect themselves. For several weeks, kidnappings have been on the increase in Port-au-Prince and on the main roads. Last week, a doctor and a justice of the peace were kidnapped before being released on payment of a ransom.
At the same time, anti-government demonstrations have caused disruptions across the country over the past several days, led by the former police chief and politician Guy Philippe, who returned to Haiti after serving a prison sentence in the US for money laundering linked to drug trafficking.
Demonstrators are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who has been in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, criticizing him for not doing enough to deal with the insecurity and the struggling economy.