Philippine senator criticizes government blacklisting of Irish priest

Published: 2007-01-12

QUEZON CITY, Philippines (CNS) -- A Philippine senator criticized the government blacklisting of an Irish Columban priest. Senate opposition leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. called the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation's treatment of the priest "fascistic" and "without reason." "Are we now under martial law?" Pimentel asked. Columban Father Frank Nally was held overnight at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Jan. 5. Officials then put him on a plane back to Hong Kong, said Australian Father Brian Gore, regional director of the Columban Mission Society in the Philippines. Father Gore told UCA News, an Asian church news agency, that an immigration official said Father Nally was blacklisted, but the official did not explain why. Father Nally campaigns for sustainable development and served nine years as a missionary in the Philippines, mostly in Mindanao, Father Gore said.

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