Pope Leo XIV urges release of kidnapped missionary and child in Haiti

On Sunday, August 10, 2025, before the faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square for the Angelus prayer, Pope Leo XIV deplored the spiral of violence in which Haitians still live and issued an urgent plea for the release of recently abducted orphanage staff and children.

- Advertisement -

“The situation of the population in Haiti is increasingly desperate […] The news reports murders, violence of all kinds, human trafficking, forced exiles and kidnappings,” the Sovereign Pontiff said, stressing the scale of the crisis. The Pope launched “an urgent appeal to all those responsible for the immediate release of the hostages” and requested “the concrete support of the international community to create the social and institutional conditions that will allow Haitians to live in peace.”

The remarks came amid international outrage after an attack on the Saint Helena (Sainte-Helene) orphanage run by the organization “Our Little Brothers and Sisters” near Port-au-Prince. On August 3, nine people were taken from the institution; reports say the abductees include an Irish missionary who has been in Haiti for 30 years and a 3-year-old disabled child. A later report noted that on August 4, an armed group attacked the Sainte-Helene orphanage, kidnapping Irish missionary Gena Heraty, as well as seven staff members and a three-year-old disabled child, according to a report published on the Vatican News website.

The Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince condemned the abductions, saying: “This abduction constitutes an attack on the noblest aspects of society: the free service of others, the innocence of the defenseless child, and faith embodied in works of mercy.”

Pope Leo XIV also addressed the broader plight of the Haitian people in the face of mounting gang violence, calling for greater global support to end the complex situation. After the Angelus, Leo XIV noted that in Haiti, “there are repeated reports of murders, violence of all kinds, human trafficking, forced exiles, and kidnappings.”

The scale of the violence is underscored by United Nations figures. During the second quarter of 2025, between April 1st and June 30, 2025, 2,129 victims were recorded (1,520 people killed and 609 injured), or one Haitian killed or injured every hour… according to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH).

The abductions and killings come amid what observers say is an institutional collapse and the growing dominance of armed gangs. “The gangs, which have been operating increasingly since 2024, have already extended their influence far beyond the capital, while the national police, insufficient in number and logistics, struggle to ensure order and security, leaving the country experiencing one of its most extreme humanitarian crises,” the report notes.

The Pope’s appeal and the Archdiocese’s condemnation add to international calls for swift action as Haiti confronts a deepening security and humanitarian emergency.