Captors demand $2 million

The Catholic priest with Nebraska ties who was kidnapped from his home in a volatile region of the Philippines is being held for ransom by his captors — but his colleagues say the kidnappers are unlikely to be paid.

Gunmen kidnapped The Rev. Michael Sinnott , 79, on the night of Oct. 11, prompting a massive search, but a video aired on Halloween in the Philippines showed Sinnott stating that his captors demanded $2 million in ransom for his release.

In the video, Sinnott, dressed in a white T-shirt, was holding an issue of a Philippine newspaper from Oct. 22. Sinnott said he was in good health, despite living in difficult conditions and lacking his heart medication.

Sinnott is a member of the Missionary Society of St. Columban, which keeps its American offices in Bellevue. Sinnott attended seminary in Bellevue in the 1950s, before his ordination on Dec. 21, 1954.

The Rev. Pat O’Donoghue, director of the Columbans in the Philippines, said missionary society policy in the area will not allow ransom payments.

“We do not pay ransom,” O’Donoghue said in a statement. “I do not believe it is right that ransom should be paid.”

If they did, O’Donoghue said, all priests would have a price on their heads.

Extremist groups in the area have fought for a separate homeland in the southern Philippines for decades and have kidnapped foreigners before.

Contact the writer:

444-1068, johnny.perez@owh.com