A Colombian Franciscan nun, Sister Gloria Cecilia Navarez, kidnapped in February 2017 by jihadists in Mali, was released last Saturday, the Malian presidency announced.
The Malian presidency praised in a statement “the courage and bravery of the sister,” saying the release is “the culmination of 4 years and 8 months of combined efforts of several intelligence services.”
“I thank the Malian authorities, the president, and all Malian authorities for all the efforts you have made to free me. May God bless you, may God bless Mali,” the nun said on Malian public television.
She appeared alongside the interim president, Colonel Assimi Goïta, and the archbishop of Bamako, Jean Zerbo. Bishop Zerbo assured that the nun “is doing well.” “We prayed a lot for her release. I thank the Malian authorities and other goodwill that allowed this release,” he said.
Gloria Cecilia Narvaez is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate, a congregation of Swiss origin founded in 1893 and present in 17 countries. She had been kidnapped on Feb. 7, 2017, near Koutiala, 400 km east of Bamako. She had been working as a missionary for six years in the parish of Karangasso with three other nuns.