Fr. Sinnott, SSC released by his Kidnappers in the Southern Philippines
November 13th, 2009
Mick Sinnott, SSC, the missionary priest who was kidnapped in the southern Philippines a month ago, has been released and in good health. He was kidnapped not by a Muslim group as was initially suspected, but by a group of Lumad Mindanao, an indigenous group that was trying to raise money to draw attention to their plight. They have lost nearly all of their land to settlers from other parts of the Philippines over the past century
When it was clear that no money would be forthcoming from either the Irish government or the Society of St. Columban, the group released him, but asked that a message be gotten out to the international media. “They want to convey that they are the original ‘Lumad of Mindanao’ who lost their homeland and everything else when the merchants came”, Fr. Sinnott explained.
Fr. Sinnott was snatched from the compound of the center that he runs for children with disabilities in Pagadian on the southern island of Mindanao. Concern for his health was high, because he was taken without his heart medicine. His captors, who treated him well, ordered a supply of his medicine for him. Fr. Sinnott, who is 79, plans to return to his work at the children’s center in Pagadian.
Fr. Shay Cullen, SSC has written more on the kidnapping and recent release. (Download PDF)
Posted in: Asia, Global, Homepage News, Issues, Members, News, Peace
Related keywords: michael sinnott, philippines
