Vatican City, Nov 27, 2008 / 08:15 am
This afternoon at the Vatican’s Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi issued a statement about two Italian religious sisters who were kidnapped over two weeks ago in Kenya. The Vatican spokesman said that Pope Benedict is closely following any news of the sisters and is praying for them and their families.
On November 9, two Italian Catholic sisters were kidnapped by bandits in a night time ambush in the small town of El Wak in North-Eastern Kenya on the Somali border.
Maria Teresa Olevero and Catarina Giraudo are both members of the Contemplative Missionary Movement of Fr. Charles De Foucauld. Sister Maria Teresa has been in Kenya since 1972 while Sister Catarina, a nurse, has been there since 1974. The sisters provided medical and nutritional care to malnourished children, expectant mothers and the elderly.