After pope's plea, captors release 6 nuns held in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Jan. 25 (UPI) -- After nearly a week in captivity, six Catholic nuns who were kidnapped in Port-au-Prince were released Thursday morning, days after a plea by Pope Francis, Haitian Archbishop Max Leroy Mesidor said.

Two laypeople also were released by their captors, Mesidor said.

"We give thanks to God," Mesidor told the Vatican News about the support given around the world after the kidnapping. "Thank you for your support."

Bishop Pierre-Andre Dumas, of Anse-a-Veau-Miragoane, said their community never lost faith that the nuns would be released.

"This traumatic event has once again put our faith to the test, but it remains unshakable," Dumas said, according to the National Catholic Register. "We cried out to God. He made us strong in our trials and brought our captives back to freedom."

Unknown armed suspects took the nuns off a bus last Friday in Port-au-Prince and demanded more than $3 million in ransom. It was unknown if any ransom was paid for their release.

Pope Francis appealed for the nuns' release last Sunday during his Angelus devotional. The Catholic Church in Haiti organized a day of prayer, meditation and Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesday in hopes of their release.

The Bishops' Conference of Haiti on Monday called for the unconditional release of the nuns and decried the rampant crime in Port-au-Prince.

"These acts cause consternation among all citizens of goodwill," the conference said. "They dishonor their authors and tarnish the image of our country affiliated with so many repeated evils."

Though the kidnappers were not identified, the area where the nuns went missign is controlled multiple gangs, whose violence has disrupted life in Haiti since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.