The Office of the Communication Service of the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince, in a note dated April 14, 2023, expresses its indignation after a kidnapping by armed men, at the end of a mass celebrated by the Archbishop from Port-au-Prince to Saint Charbel's Oratory.

Note from the Archdiocese :

"At the end of a mass presided over by the Archbishop of Port-au-Prince at the Saint Charbel Oratory, on the afternoon of Thursday, April 13, 2023, armed but decently dressed men perpetrated, inside the space itself, an act of kidnapping which left the faithful and everyone in shock. As they left, the bandits not only knocked down the entrance gate to the courtyard of the Oratory, but they also hit two people who had to be hospitalized urgently.

This act of kidnapping, which is one too many, undermines both the integrity of a place of worship, which is a sacred place, and the freedom of movement and circulation of people in the country. The Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince once again expresses its indignation at such acts which spare no one and respect no place; in this sense, it demands that the authorities of the State finally guarantee the safety of life and property, that they prosecute and convict those who operate the kidnapping industry and derive their profits from it.

God wants his children to be free and not to be oppressed or treated as slaves (cf Lv 25, 39.42). He is the helper of his people. May he take us into grace, bless us and save us.

On Friday April 14, 2023, in the octave of Easter.

Given to the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince.

HL/ HaitiLibre