ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Top religious leaders in Haiti denounce kidnapping of nuns and demand government action

Police patrol through the streets of downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph) Police patrol through the streets of downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
Share
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -

The Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince pleaded for the release of six nuns kidnapped last week and demanded that Haiti's government crack down on gang violence, in a strongly worded letter released Monday.

The Archdiocese, along with the Haitian Conference of the Religious, said in the letter that Haitians are tired of the "reign of terror" imposed by armed groups and called on government officials to protect people and their property.

"On many occasions, the Church has denounced their silence, which is similar to an attitude of contempt for people's suffering," the letter stated.

Religious leaders said they were distressed to witness that there has not been a serious response to what it called a scourge of kidnappings for more than two years. They said the ongoing violence has "plunged the country into an increasingly confusing and chaotic situation" as they called for the safe release of the kidnapped nuns without conditions.

The nuns and two other people were travelling aboard a bus in Port-au-Prince when they were kidnapped last Friday. No one has publicly claimed responsibility for the abduction.

On Sunday, Pope Francis pleaded for their release. Speaking from a window of the Apostolic Palace to faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, Francis said he learned of the news of the kidnapping with sorrow: "In asking fervently for their release, I pray for social harmony in the country, and I ask all to put stop to the violence, which causes so much suffering to that dear population."

Gangs have been blamed for the kidnappings of nearly 2,500 people last year, a more than 80 per cent increase compared with the previous year, according to UN statistics. Police remain overwhelmed and underfunded, with less than 10,000 active officers at a time in a country of more than 11 million people.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.