Pope expresses relief over kidnapped released in Haiti, prays for those still held

By Vatican News

Addressing the crowd in St. Peter's Square during Sunday's Angelus, Pope Francis expressed relief following the release nearly a week ago of a teacher and four of the six religious following their kidnapping in Haiti. Two of them are still in captivity and the Pope called for their release as quickly as possible, as well as all those still detained in “the beloved country, so fraught with violence.” The six religious, members of the Congregation of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, were kidnapped on February 23.

Unite for the common good

The Pope called on all political and social leaders of Haiti to abandon their narrow interests and “engage in a spirit of solidarity in the pursuit of the common good, supporting a peaceful transition to a country which, with the help of the international community, could be equipped with solid institutions capable of restoring order and tranquility among its citizens.

Pray for war-torn people

Pope Francis also asked everyone to continue to pray for the war-torn populations in Ukraine, Palestine, Israel and South Sudan. And he remembered the Syrian people, asking that we not forget their plight, because the nation “suffered greatly for a long time because of the war.”