Violent gangs in Haiti kidnapped “a large number” of Catholic priests and church members last week, Christian media reported on Monday, as the Caribbean country descends further into gang-led chaos.
Catholic groups have called on the faithful to pray for “the restoration of order” in Haiti as armed militias led by Jimmy “Barbeque” Chéridier take control of the country. Chéridier, who has repeatedly called for the ouster of all Haitian politicians in recent years, publicly called for a “bloody revolution” on Monday.
“We are not in a peaceful revolution. We are having a bloody revolution in this country because this system is an apartheid system, an evil system,” said Chéridier. Said.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry, stranded in Puerto Rico after gangs besieged the Port-au-Prince airport, announced his next plan. Resignation on monday.
Amy Balogh, a member of Catholic Charities Aid to Churches in Need, said: Told told Premier Christian News on Monday about the continued despair facing Haitian Christians.
“Kidnappings of church officials and religious priests are occurring frequently. [sic] In the last few months,” Borreg said. “And while these people are sometimes kidnapped and released after a few days, many religious people who were kidnapped last month are still in captivity.”
“They were abducted by armed groups, but no one knows where they are being held, and the motive for their abduction is not clear,” Borleg explained.
“There is a general sense of insecurity, people don’t feel safe, roads are closed and it is impossible to get into or out of the capital,” she continued. “I mean, it’s a complete mess.”
vatican news report On Monday, it was announced that five of the seven members of the Brotherhood of the Sacred Heart who were abducted in Port-au-Prince in February have been released. The seven were kidnapped on February 23 while attending the Jean XXIII school in Port-au-Prince’s gang-controlled Bicentenary district.
“The struggle is not over, as brothers Pierre Isaac Varme and Adam Monclayson Marius remain in captivity,” the group said in a statement.
Max Leroy Messidor, Archbishop of Port-au-Prince Said On Friday, Aid to Churches in Need said its pastoral services were “very seriously affected” by the ongoing wave of violence and that “no place in the country is safe.”
“There is a real risk of a civil war breaking out,” Mesidor said. “Armed groups act like an organized army. Police cannot keep track of them.”
The archbishop, who is also president of the Haitian bishops’ conference, said charities have reported several kidnappings of clergy and religious figures in 2024.
“Kidnappings are happening everywhere,” Mesidor said. “Everyone is afraid, including the religious. As soon as you leave Port-au-Prince, you are at risk. Gangs even come to churches to kidnap people.”
The cleric stressed that he has not been able to visit two-thirds of his parish as roads remain blocked.
“You have to get on a plane to get to the south of the diocese. I haven’t been to the cathedral for two years,” he explained.
“The last celebration I was able to hold in the cathedral was the Holy Communion Mass. The venue was packed,” he continued. “But it was ringing from Agnus Dei until after the service shot. I could see smoke rising nearby.”
The archbishop said the faithful had shown “resilience despite suffering.”
“They’re used to suffering – even on the scale that it is now,” he says.
pope francis offered He said he prayed for the Haitian people during Sunday’s Angelus, adding that he was watching the ongoing situation in the Caribbean nation with concern and sadness.
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan writer who chronicles life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
