VATICAN CITY (AFP) — Pope Benedict XVI expressed concern on Thursday over the fate of two Roman Catholic nuns kidnapped at gunpoint in Kenya more than two weeks ago, the Vatican new agency said.
"The Holy Father is following the protraction of their kidnapping with concern," Federico Lombardi, the head of the Vatican's press service, said in a statement.
The pope "remains close in prayer to the suffering, not only of the two kidnapped nuns, but also to that of their families and of the Contemplative Missionary Movement of the Fr. de Foucauld," of which they are members, Lombardi added.
The pontiff said the two nuns were well-known in Kenya for their generous dedication to the poor and expressed hope that "this gravely unjust situation" would be resolved as soon as possible, according to the statement.
Caterina Giraudo, 67, and Maria Teresa Oliviero, 61, were abducted by armed men on November 10 in the northern Kenya district of Mandera. The hostages are believed to have been taken across the border into Somalia.
The neighbouring region of southern Somalia is controlled by Islamist fighters allied to local militia.
Armed Somali gangs have carried out scores of kidnappings in recent months, often targeting either foreigners or Somalis working with international organisations to demand ransoms.
A Somali national was charged in a Nairobi court this week with kidnapping the two nuns in their sixties.
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