Six nuns and two companions kidnapped in Haiti last week have been freed

Six Roman Catholic nuns and two companions who were kidnapped at gunpoint in Haiti last week have been released, Port-au-Prince Archbishop Monsignor Max Leroy Mesidor confirmed to the Miami Herald.

Gang members reportedly demanded $3 million for the release of the nuns, who are members of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Anne. While its difficult for individuals to be released without paying a ransom, no information has been disclosed about whether a ransom was paid in this case.

A statement issued on behalf of the the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian Religious Conference and the Congregation of Saint Anne thanked members of the public for their support.

The kidnapping was denounced by church leaders in Haiti, who demanded the government do more to stop the scourge of kidnappings by armed gangs, as well as Pope Francis. During his weekly Angelus address from the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter’s Square, the pontiff mentioned the kidnapping and called for the release of all hostages in Haiti and an end to the gang violence and kidnappings in the Caribbean country.

Another kidnap victim, Douglas Pape, the son of well-known physician Dr. Jean William “Bill” Pape, remains in captivity nearly two months after his kidnapping on Nov. 28, 2023, despite several ransom payments.

The United Nations said that while gang-related killings rose to 119% last year over 2022, kidnappings have also increased by 83%. Haiti Foreign Minister John Victor Geneus, addressing the Security Council on Thursday, said that government statistics list 2,951 kidnappings and more than 5,000 people killed in 2023.

“This means that last year, one person was killed every two hours,” he said.

Haiti’s 12 million people, he added, “have suffered enough from the barbarity of armed gangs.”