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Appeals, prayers in Philippines for abducted priest


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 eight days after he was abducted abducted Distal angulation of an extremity away from the midline of the body in a transverse plane and away from a sagittal plane passing through the proximal aspect of the foot or part, or away from some other specified reference point  by unknown gunmen.

Thousands of flyers were being handed out in coastal communities on the troubled southern island of Mindanao seeking help to get medicines delivered to Father Michael Sinnott, 79.

"We appeal to your kind heart that the medicines will be delivered to Father Sinnott who currently has a serious heart ailment ailĀ·ment
n.
A physical or mental disorder, especially a mild illness.
," read one flyer released by the provincial government of Zamboanga del Sur Zamboanga del Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Zamboanga Peninsula region in Mindanao. Its capital is Pagadian City, which is also the regional center of Region IX. . It also listed emergency contact numbers.

No group has claimed responsibility for the October 11 abduction Abduction
Balfour, David

expecting inheritance, kidnapped by uncle. [Br. Lit.: Kidnapped]

Bertram, Henry

kidnapped at age five; taken from Scotland. [Br. Lit.
 of the Roman Catholic missionary and his superiors had had no contact with his abductors, said Patrick O'Donoghue, country head of the Irishman's religious order, the Missionary Society of Saint Columban.

The military said a local pirate had taken him by boat to the Lanao coast east of Pagadian city, and may have turned him over to a local leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Noun 1. Moro Islamic Liberation Front - a terrorist group in the southern Philippines formed in 1977 to establish an independent Islamic state for the Moros; have clashed with troops at United States bases  (MILF MILF Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Muslim group in the Philippines)
MILF Many Islands, Low Fares (Spirit Airlines promotion)
MILF Mother I'd Like to Find
), a Muslim separatist rebel group.

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

Allan Molde, spokesman for a government task force handling the hostage crisis, said about 10,000 flyers had been distributed around Pagadian and nearby areas 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 (1) (AppleTalk Filing Protocol) The file sharing protocol used in an AppleTalk network. In order for non-Apple networks to access data in an AppleShare server, their protocols must translate into the AFP language. See file sharing protocol. , 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 Bypass surgery
A surgical procedure that grafts blood vessels onto arteries to reroute the blood flow around blockages in the arteries (arteriosclerosis).
, 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.
Copyright 2009 AFP Global Edition
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright (c) Mochila, Inc.

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Author:AFP
Publication:AFP Global Edition
Date:Oct 18, 2009
Words:378
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