After the opening Mass of the Synod, Pope Francis greeted Sr. Gloria Cecilia Narváez. This Colombian nun was released after being held hostage for four years and eight months by a Jihadist group in Mali.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.... May God bless you.
The nun was abducted in 2017 about 250 miles from Bamako while she was working at an orphanage. Sr. Gloria Cecilia was released on Oct. 9, according to authorities in Mali.
SR. GLORIA CECILIA NARVÁEZ
Franciscan Sister of Mary Immaculate
To the authorities of Mali, the president, all the authorities of Mali for your efforts to have me set free. May God bless you. May God bless Mali.
Colombian chancellor, Marta Lucia Ramirez, on Twitter, underscored the role of the presidents of Mali, Senegal and Ghana, and of French ministers, in securing the nun's freedom. The religious sister also thanked the Ambassador of Colombia to the Holy See for his efforts.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Mr. Ambassador. Thank you for everything you did for me, everything Colombia did. May God bless you. Thank God, I am free.
In 2017, Sr. Gloria Narváez appeared in a video diffused by Al Qaeda, alongside five other kidnapped foreigners. Their liberation was an international collaborative effort.
GEN. JORGE LUIS VARGAS
Director of Colombian National Police
Several of the officials cooperated with special forces organizations from France, Spain and Africa, to secure their freedom.
The nun is now safe and sound in Rome, while her congregation in her native Colombia awaits her return. They celebrated her freedom with a Mass they live-streamed on Facebook.
BGA
TR: CT