Appeals, prayers for Irish priest abducted in Philippines

Philippine authorities and church officials on Sunday launched fresh appeals for the safety of an elderly Irish priest they fear may be in dire need of medical attention, a week after his abduction.

Thousands of flyers were being handed out on the troubled southern island of Mindanao seeking help for Father Michael Sinnott, 79, whose abduction by gunmen was also highlighted by the Vatican.

"We appeal to your kind heart that the medicines will be delivered to Father Sinnott, who currently has a serious heart ailment," read one flyer released by the provincial government of Zamboanga del Sur.

No group has claimed responsibility for the October 11 abduction of the Roman Catholic missionary and his superiors have had no contact with his abductors, said Patrick O'Donoghue, country head of the Irishman's religious order, the Missionary Society of Saint Columban.

During a service at the Vatican Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI praised Sinnott for his missionary work, and that of an Italian priest shot dead in Brazil last month.

"I want us to remember the missionaries, priests, members of religious orders and those who are not religious who dedicate their lives to spread the gospel in the world," the pope said during his weekly Angelus service.

"I am thinking, among others, of Ruggero Ruvoletto, killed recently in Brazil and Michael Sinnott... kidnapped several days ago in the Philippines."

The Philippine military said a pirate had transferred Sinnott by boat to the Lanao coast east of Pagadian city, and may have turned him over to a leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a Muslim separatist group.

The MILF leadership has denied any of its commanders were involved and says it is helping to secure Sinnott's release.

Allan Molde, spokesman for a government taskforce handling the Irishman's case, said about 10,000 flyers had been distributed around Pagadian and nearby and more would be sent to coastal areas in the region.

"We all know that the kidnappers used boats, and we hope somebody in these areas may know where they are," he told reporters by telephone.

"Our immediate concern is the transport of medicine because he had not had any medication since his abduction," Molde said.

"We also hope that through this we will be able to establish contact" with the kidnappers, Molde added.

"All sorts of avenues are being explored," O'Donoghue told AFP, including the flyers. However, "for now there are no new developments yet."

O'Donoghue said special prayers for Sinnott, who recently had heart bypass surgery, were being said during Sunday mass at churches across Pagadian diocese.

Residents of the village of Santa Lucia, where Sinnott was taken at gunpoint from a mission house, were also holding a prayer rally for him Sunday, he added.