7 Catholic Clergy, Including French Citizens, Abducted in Haiti, Church Says

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI - Seven Catholic clergy, including two French citizens, were kidnapped Sunday in Haiti, said the spokesman of the Bishop's Conference for the island nation, which has been rocked by unrest.

Five priests and two nuns were abducted in the morning in Croix-des-Bouquets, a commune east of the capital, Port-au-Prince, Father Loudger Mazile told AFP. They were "on their way to the installation of a new parish priest," he added. The kidnappers had demanded a $1 million ransom for the group, which includes one French priest and one French nun, he added. Haitian authorities suspect an armed gang called "400 Mawozo," which is active in kidnappings, is behind the abduction, according to a police source.