Pope Leo XII urges for the liberation of Gena Heraty and nine abducted individuals, currently in captivity in Haiti.
In a heartfelt and urgent appeal, Pope Leo XIV has called for the immediate release of an Irish woman, Gena Heraty, and other hostages taken in Haiti, specifically from the Sainte-Helene orphanage near Port-au-Prince. This group includes an Irish missionary, eight others including staff members, and a three-year-old child with disabilities.
The pope condemned the ongoing violence, kidnappings, human trafficking, and forced displacement that have been destabilizing Haiti. He urged the international community to provide tangible support to restore peace and order in the country.
The kidnapping occurred in early August 2025 when armed gangs broke into the orphanage and took nine hostages in a "planned act." This reflects the severe insecurity and gang dominance in Haiti, which has caused thousands of deaths, injuries, kidnappings, and mass displacements in recent years.
Pope Leo XIV expressed deep sorrow over the desperate humanitarian crisis facing Haitians and urged responsible parties to free the hostages immediately while emphasizing the need to rebuild social and institutional structures to allow peaceful living conditions for the population.
Efforts following the pope’s appeal include public gratitude expressed by Archbishop Max Leroy Mesidor, President of the Haitian Bishops’ Conference, who called for stronger international engagement and more concrete actions to address the crisis. The Haitian government also declared a three-month state of emergency in the central region of the country to curb surging gang violence.
However, as of the latest updates in mid-August 2025, there has been no public confirmation of the hostages’ release. The pope’s appeal has, nonetheless, heightened international attention on the situation and the need for urgent humanitarian and security interventions.
Gena Heraty, aged in her 50s, has lived in Haiti since 1993. The orphanage she oversees was run by Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs (NPFS, Our Little Brothers and Sisters), which has been the target of the kidnapping. The gang believed to have led the kidnapping are associates of the Viv Ansanm group, one of two major crime syndicates in Haiti that have been sanctioned by the United Nations.
The situation in Haiti has plummeted to a new low this summer, according to the UN human rights chief, Volker Türk. Over 2,680 people have been killed in Haiti this year, and 1.3 million people are displaced by violence during the current crisis. In the first five months of this year, 316 people were kidnapped for ransom.
Pope Leo XIV described the circumstances faced by the Haitian people as "increasingly desperate." He made a heartfelt appeal to all responsible to release the hostages immediately and asked for the concrete support of the international community to create conditions for Haitians to live in peace.
- The ongoing crisis in Haiti, characterized by violence, kidnappings, and forced displacement, has stretched beyond politics and general news, now encompassing crime and justice, as demonstrated by the kidnapping of an Irish woman, Gena Heraty, and others from the Sainte-Helene orphanage near Port-au-Prince.
- Pope Leo XIV's appeal for the immediate release of the hostages, including an Irish missionary and eight others, highlights the urgent need for international intervention in Haiti's crisis, not only for the release of hostages but also to restore peace and order, and address the underlying issues akin to politics, general news, and crime and justice.
