©️Vatican media
Vatican City, 10 August 2025.- From the window of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, at the end of the prayer of the Angelus, this Sunday, Pope Leo XIV expressed deep concern at the dramatic deterioration of the situation in Haiti.
The Supreme Pontiff strongly condemned the attack on 3 August at the Saint Helena orphanage in the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, during which nine people were abducted, including the Irish lay missionary Gena Heraty, a three-year-old disabled child, and seven staff members.
Aggrieved by these barbaric acts, the Pope demanded the immediate release of the hostages and drew attention to the escalation of violence in Haiti, characterized by homicides, kidnappings, human trafficking and a climate of widespread insecurity.
He stressed that almost 85 per cent of the capital would be under the influence of armed groups, plunging the population into a state of permanent terror. It should be noted that the Orphanage Saint Helena run by the organization « Our Little Brothers and Sisters »houses more than 240 children.
In the same breath, he welcomed the diplomatic progress between Armenia and Azerbaijan as an encouraging sign for peace in other conflict areas. Finally, the Holy Father made a solemn appeal to the world leaders, inviting them to engage concretely in the resolution of global crises, and especially in the one in Haiti, which continues to sink into chaos.
W.E.
