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In a note, the office of the Haitian Conference of Religious Men and Women (CHR) said it learned with great emotion the sad news of the kidnapping of six nuns from the Congregation of the Sisters of Ste-Anne andArmed people kidnapped them on Friday around 7 a.m. in a street in the capital, when the nuns were on their way to the various educational establishments in which they work, said a CHR official, contacted by AFP .Vatican News released:
Armed gunmen take at least six nuns hostage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, when they took over a bus carrying them and drove off to an unknown destination.
The capital of Haiti is struggling to quell an outbreak of violence that has led to some neighborhoods being totally sealed off from access. In the midst of this chaos, local sources have reported that six religious of the Sisters of Sainte-Anne congregation have been abducted along with the other occupants including the driver of the vehicle they were travelling on. Armed gunmen stopped and boarded the minibus as it was heading to the university taking all passengers hostage. The kidnapping took place on 19 January in broad daylight in the center of the capital Port-au-Prince.
The kidnapping, confirmed in a press release from the Haitian Conference of Religious, has also been strongly denounced by Bishop Pierre-André Dumas. The Bishop of Anse-à-Veau and Miragoâne strongly and firmly condemns "this latest odious and barbaric act that 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 Bishop calls for the release of the hostages and an end to "these deplorable and criminal practices." Bishop Dumas calls on "all of 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!" Finally, he declares his willingness to take their place as a hostage.
The Bishop calls for the release of the hostages and an end to "these deplorable and criminal practices." Bishop Dumas calls on "all of 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!" Finally, he declares his willingness to take their place as a hostage.
Image source: http://www.ssacong.org/haiti/ - Image of Nuns from the Congregation not necessarily those taken hostage
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