Mother of kidnapped priest appeals for his release
The mother of an Italian priest abducted in the Philippines last week appealed for his son’s release, saying that, once free, he will continue loving and helping those who are in need.
The appeal by Giuseppina Pierantoni, the mother of the Rev Giuseppe Pierantoni, was carried by the Catholic Missionary news service Misna on Monday.
‘‘I beg you, with all my heart, to let him go,’’ the woman said.
‘I’m very worried about him, because he has already had health problems, which could re-emerge.
‘‘Giuseppe always wanted to share his life with the poor and the simple people and for this reason came to your land,’’ she said.
‘‘I know my son and I am sure that once free, he will continue loving you and helping those in need, as he has always done.’’
The 44-year-old priest was kidnapped on Wednesday in the Philippines by at least nine men believed to be former Muslim separatist guerrillas. The kidnapping occurred in an impoverished southern province which is home to the country’s Muslim minority.
The Philippines is predominantly Roman Catholic.
In that same region, several Filipino and foreign Catholic priests have been targeted in the past by Muslim guerrillas and bandits.
Pierantoni, who comes from Bologna in central Italy, is a missionary from the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
