The leaders of the Church in Haiti have designated January 24 as a day of prayer for all hostages in the conflict-plagued country, including the six nuns who were kidnapped the morning of January 19.
The nuns are from the Congregation of the Sisters of Sainte-Anne. They were kidnapped presumably by one of the many gangs that control the Haitian capital. Along with them, the kidnappers took the driver of the minibus the nuns were traveling on, and another passenger.
According to Vatican News, this passenger was the niece of one of the nuns and she was reportedly released on Monday. The News added:
None of the 300 gangs operating in Haiti so far has publicly claimed responsibility for the abduction, though local media alleged that a ransom of 3 million dollars has been demanded.
Archbishop Max Leroys Mesidor of Port-au-Prince, president of the Bishops' Conference of Haiti, and Father Morachel Bonhomme, president of the Haitian Conference of Religious, designated January 24 as a day of prayer, meditation, and Eucharistic adoration for Haiti.
An armed force led by Kenya is expected in Haiti to help deal with the gang situation.
