MANILA, Philippines – Irish missionary Fr. Michael Sinnot, who was kidnapped by armed bandits last year, returned to Manila on Friday hoping that his superiors would allow him to return to Pagadian City.
“It’s very nice to be back and I am looking forward to going back to my work in Pagadian,” Sinnott told the CBCPNews, the official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Sinnot wanted to return to Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur where he has been helping handicapped children since 1988, but the decision remains with his superiors.
Considering his age and the kidnapping incident, a source told the CBCPNews that assigning him back to Pagadian is not an option for now.
Fr. Sinnot, who turned 80 last month, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at around 10:30 p.m. last Jan. 15 aboard Etihad Airways flight EY 428 from Abu Dhabi.
He was met at the airport by Fr. Patrick O’Donoghue, the country’s Columban superior, and Fr. Michael McGuire.
Fr. Sinnot said that his one-month vacation in Ireland was an opportunity for him to spend time with his family and friends. He also met Ireland’s top government officials and relatives who came all the way from London.
Sinnott was kidnapped by still unidentified armed men from his convent at the heart of Pagadian City last Oct. 11 and was held in the hinterlands of Mindanao.
He was freed through the efforts of the outlawed Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Zamboanga City last Nov. 12. He flew to Ireland with Fr. O’Donoghue last Dec. 2.