Pope Francis greeted a Colombian nun on October 10, shortly after she was freed four years after being kidnapped by Islamists in Mali.
The Pope blessed Sr. Gloria Cecilia Narváez Argoti before a Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica launching a worldwide synodal process. Sr. Gloria, a member of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary Imma-culate, was kidnapped in southern Mali in 2017.
The Malian presidency announced that she was released on Oct. 9 after “four years and eight months of combined efforts of several intelligence services.”
It posted photographs on social media of her meeting with interim president Col. Assimi Goïta, accompanied by Cardinal Jean Zerbo of Bamako.
“We prayed a lot for her release. I thank the Malian authorities and other good people who made this release possible,” the cardinal told.
Armed men kidnapped Sr. Gloria in Karangasso, about 90 miles south of the town of San, near the border with Burkina Faso, on Feb. 7, 2017.
The men forced her to hand over the keys to the community’s ambulance. The vehicle was later found abandoned. Three other sisters were present at their house but escaped.
The kidnappers were going to take the youngest nun, but Sr. Gloria reportedly volunteered to take her place.