ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 4, 2025 / 17:24 pm

Sisters Evanette Onezaire and Jeanne Voltaire, members of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, were murdered in Haiti by armed gangs that continue to sow chaos in several cities across the country.

The news was confirmed April 2 by Archbishop Max Leroy Mésidor of Port-au-Prince to the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need, following media reports of the attack perpetrated by members of a coalition of gangs known as “Vivre Ensemble” (“Living Together”).

The group stormed the town of Mirebalais in central Haiti on Monday, March 31, freeing some 500 prisoners from a jail, storming a police station, and setting fire to several homes, although the exact number of homes affected has not yet been determined.

According to the pontifical institution, when the attack began, the nuns “were forced to take refuge with others in a house. Unfortunately, the attackers discovered their hiding place and murdered the entire group.”

“During this attack, several murders occurred, including the two sisters from the local congregation of the Little Sisters of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. All the prisoners have escaped, and the bandits occupy the city,” Mésidor confirmed.

According to the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops’ Council, the spokesman for the Haitian Bishops’ Conference (CEH), Father Marc Henry Siméon, issued a letter expressing mourning and condemnation, stating that they are “assaulted by the injustice and absurdity of a world that seems to be collapsing under the weight of evil.”

The CEH also reiterated its call for reason to “the architects of violence and those involved in crime; this call is also intended to be a call for respect for the life and dignity of this wounded people.”

How does violence affect the life of the Catholic Church?

Haiti continues to be mired in a wave of violence, exacerbated by the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021. Since then, the country has faced a power vacuum, lacked legitimate elected leadership, and suffered the growing influence of armed gangs that control large areas of the country.

Mésidor lamented that the situation also affected life in churches, noting that “28 parishes in the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince are closed, while around 40 are operating at a reduced level due to gang control in their neighborhoods.”

Priests “have been forced to flee, seeking refuge with their families or other clergy. They need help. The archdiocese is also in difficulty,” Mésidor told the pontifical foundation.

“Here in Haiti, our Lent is truly a Calvary, but we offer it in communion with the sufferings of Christ. Haiti is in flames and urgently needs help. Who will come to help us?” he asked.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.