On October 26, armed gangs led by Jimmy Chérizier, known as “Barbecue,” attacked the Missionaries of Charity convent in Port-au-Prince.
Founded by Mother Teresa in 1979, the convent provided free medical care to nearly 30,000 people annually. The attackers looted and set fire to the facility, which has been a sanctuary for the community for decades. No injuries were reported as police had advised the sisters to vacate in September due to rising violence.
The convent’s destruction marks a significant and unprecedented act of violence against the Missionaries of Charity. Gang members dismantled walls and took benches, beds and medical equipment before torching the site.
This was the first time the Missionaries of Charity, known for decades of serving Haiti’s poor, faced direct violence. The Miami Herald reported that “nobody thought they would touch the sisters’ house because … much the poor people of the area benefited from the free service of the sisters.”
The nuns are now sheltered at another religious site, having been forced to abandon a mission that served as the heart of the community in a gang-controlled area.
Please pray for the Missionaries of Charity in Haiti!
Photo credit: Willuconquer, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
