Haitian Bishops appeal for release of six nuns

By James Blears

The Haitian Bishops’ Conference and the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince say Haitians are weary of what they call "this reign of terror inflicted by the gangs."

The country’s Bishops are urging the government of Haiti to protect its citizens.

“On many occasions, the Church has denounced their silence, which is an attitude of contempt concerning people’s suffering."

Furthermore, the Bishops say they are distressed to witness a lack of apparent response to the scourge of kidnappings, which have been going on for more than two years.

The situation, they add, has “plunged Haiti into an increasingly chaotic crisis," and they’re demanding the safe release of the six women religious.

The nuns are members of the St. Anne Congregation, which has been devoted to helping children and the poor in Haiti for eighty years, particularly in the fields of education and social development.

They were abducted at gunpoint on Friday from a bus in Port-au-Prince, along with two other people. No gang or armed group has yet claimed responsibility.

Deplorable criminality

In Haiti, Bishop Pierre Andre Dumas, an auxiliary bishop of Port-au-Prince, has denounced the kidnappings and called for an end to “this deplorable criminality.”

“This odious and barbaric act shows no respect for the dignity of Consecrated Women who give themselves wholeheartedly and completely to educate and form the young, the poorest, and the most vulnerable members of our society.”

Pope Francis on Sunday appealed for the nun’s release, saying he learned of their abduction with great sorrow and asking for the violence to cease. He says it has caused “so much suffering.”

Ongoing spate of abductions

More than two thousand people were kidnapped in Haiti in 2023.

That’s an increase of eighty percent over the previous twelve months.

Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and is in dire need of funding from the international community, as well as stability and law and order.