nuns

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Monday, April 12, 2021

Haitian bishops condemn kidnappings of Catholic priests, nuns

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption - Cap-Haitien

Seven Catholic priests and nuns were kidnapped in Haiti on Sunday, and are being held for ransom.

The five priests and two nuns were abducted at Croix-des-Bouquets, a suburb of Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince. According to local news, they were taken while on the way to attend the installation of a parish priest.

According to Haitian media, the “400 Mawozo” gang admitted culpability for the kidnapping, and is demanding $1 million in ransom.

Two of the kidnapped, one priest and one nun, are citizens of France.

Church leaders in Haiti have condemned the kidnappings, and called for action to be taken against the perpetrators.

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Fr. Gilbert Peltrop, the secretary general of the Haitian Conference of the Religious, told Reuters that “the nation must stand up to fight these thugs.”

Bishop Pierre-André Dumas, vice president of the Episcopal Conference of Haiti and the bishop of Anse-à-Veau et Miragoâne, told AFP that “the Church prays and stands in solidarity with all the victims of this heinous act.”

“This is too much,” he said. “The time has come for these inhuman acts to stop.”

The Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince warned in a statement that gang violence has reached “unprecedented” levels in the country.

“For some time now, we have been witnessing the descent into hell of Haitian society,” the archdiocese stated, as reported by AFP. “The public authorities who are doing nothing to resolve this crisis are not immune from suspicion,” the statement continued, condemning “complacency and complicity.”

The number of kidnappings for ransom has recently increased in Haiti, and protests have denounced the surge of violence plaguing the country.


Over the Easter Triduum, four members of a church were kidnapped during a ceremony that was being broadcast live on Facebook.

On April 1, four members of the Seventh-day Adventist Gospel Kreyòl Ministry Church in Diquini, Haiti were abducted while performing at the ceremony. Many who were watching the service reportedly thought the kidnapping was an April Fool’s Day prank, before realizing they had witnessed a crime.

The foursome, including the church’s pastor, pianist, and two technicians, were held as hostages until Easter Sunday, and were released after a ransom was paid.

Dr. Gregory M. Figaro, whose father founded the church in Diquini, was present at the kidnapping and said a man with a gun gained entry to the church after knocking on the door.

“If this can happen, then anything is possible in the country because there is no respect for any institution, whether it’s a church or school,” Figaro told the Miami Herald after the kidnapping. “They are even grabbing people from inside their home.”

Haiti has also been affected by other crises, including natural disasters and a lack of health care infrastructure to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic

 

[SleezyBigSlim]

Were those cacs that were kidnapped?

 

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Three of seven kidnapped clergy freed in Haiti, French nationals remain captive
Thu, 22 April 2021

Three of seven Catholic clergy who were kidnapped in Haiti earlier this month have been released, a Church spokesman told AFP on Thursday, as the island nation grapples with a rise in violence and ongoing political crisis.

A total of 10 people were abducted in Croix-des-Bouquets, a town northeast of the capital Port-au-Prince, in mid-April, including the seven clergy—five of them Haitian, as well as two French citizens, a priest and a nun.

Father Loudger Mazile, spokesman for the Bishop’s Conference for the island nation, said “the French were not released. There were no lay people among those released.”

“Three of the seven clergy kidnapped on April 11 were released,” he told AFP.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, is plagued by insecurity and natural disaster.

Kidnappings for ransom have surged in recent months in Port-au-Prince and other provinces, reflecting the growing influence of armed gangs in the Caribbean nation.

Haiti’s government resigned and a new prime minister was appointed in the wake of the clergy kidnappings, a move President Jovenel Moise said “will make it possible to address the glaring problem of insecurity and continue discussions with a view to reaching the consensus necessary for the political and institutional stability of our country.”

The kidnapped victims were “on their way to the installation of a new parish priest” when they were abducted, Mazile had previously told AFP, with the kidnappers demanding a $1 million ransom for the group.

Authorities suspect an armed gang called “400 Mawozo”—which is active in kidnappings—is behind the abduction, according to a police source

 

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Haiti: Kidnapped Catholic nuns, priests freed

April 30, 2021

Nearly three weeks after being abducted from a road outside Port-au-Prince, several Catholic clergy members have been released. Their kidnapping sparked nationwide outrage and anger over a wave of recent abductions.
Several Catholic nuns and priests abducted earlier this month in Haiti have now been released, a missionary group said on Friday.


They were the last members of a group of Catholic clergy to be freed, coming after widespread public outcry over their abduction.

What we know
The Society of Priests of Saint Jacques announced their release in a statement, saying the hostages were unharmed.

The statement did not provide information on whether a ransom was paid to the kidnappers.


"Our hearts are filled with joy because we have found our colleagues, the sisters and the family members of Father Jean Anel Joseph in good health," the society said in a statement.

On April 11, the group of 10 people was abducted while traveling on a road between the capital Port-au-Prince and the town of Ganthier. The kidnappers are suspected members of the 400 Mawozo group.

 

[Amare's Right Hook]