Italian priest released after 39 days of captivity in Philippines

Published: 2007-07-20

ROME (CNS) -- Italian missionary Father Giancarlo Bossi, held by kidnappers in the southern Philippines, was released July 19 after 39 days of captivity. The 57-year-old priest, a member of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, was unharmed but quite thin. "I am well," he told AsiaNews, a Rome-based news agency sponsored by his order. "I'm happy because I just spoke to my family. Before returning to Italy, I would like to go and greet my parishioners in Payao," the town where he was seized June 10. Father Bossi spoke to AsiaNews from Zamboanga City before being taken to a military hospital for a quick checkup. At a news conference, Father Bossi said his captors claimed they had kidnapped him on behalf of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group, which is believed to have ties to al-Qaida. The priest said he was told that the kidnappers were hoping for a large ransom.

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