A longtime Irish lay missionary in Haiti has been kidnapped in what may be a targeted attack amid that nation’s long-running armed gang violence and instability. Source: Catholic Register.
Gena Heraty was among several people – including a three-year-old child – taken in the early hours of August 3 after gunmen breached the Saint-Hélène orphanage in Kenscoff, near Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince.
Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste said the attackers were believed to be gang members.
The facility, which Ms Heraty headed up, serves 240 children and is operated by Nos Petits Frères et Sœurs, established in 1995 as the expansion of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, an international outreach founded by Fr William Wasson to serve vulnerable children.
The network of charities spans 22 countries, and supports 3200 children in Bolivia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru.
Both the NPFS and NPH offices issued statements on the attack, with the former describing the situation as “evolving” and “particularly delicate”.
NPH International confirmed that Ms Heraty, director of its Haiti special needs programs, was among those abducted. It demanded “the immediate and safe release” of the group.
The organisation said Ms Heraty “has been supporting NPH and the most vulnerable populations in Haiti since 1993, with unwavering commitment to children and youth with disabilities”.
While NPFS and NPH put the total number kidnapped at seven, several media outlets reported eight or nine had been captured.
Simon Harris, Ireland’s deputy prime minister and minister for foreign affairs and trade, said in a statement on Monday that Ms Heraty has for over 30 years “dedicated her life to supporting the most vulnerable people in Haiti and it is imperative that she is released immediately”.
Mr Harris said his office was “in close contact with the Heraty family, local authorities and Nos Petit Frères et Soeurs”.
He said he had “a good conversation with Gena’s sister Noreen and I assured her that all is being done to ensure Gena’s release”.
FULL STORY
Irish lay missionary, child among several kidnapped from orphanage in Haiti (By Gina Christian, OSV News via Catholic Register)
