Kidnap cleric offers 'heartfelt sympathy'
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COLUMBAN missionary Fr Michael Sinnott, who survived a month-long kidnapping ordeal, last night offered his "heartfelt sympathies" to Fr Jeremiah Roche's family.
He described the murder as "a terrible thing to happen" before he expressed condolences to the dead priest's friends and colleagues in the Kiltegan missionary order.
"The Columban fathers and Kiltegan fathers have always been very close," he said. Fr Sinnott had been released from captivity in the Philippines after being held by a group of Islamic separatists for 31 days.
"I only heard about this [Fr Roche's death] at lunchtime but it's a terrible thing to happen to anybody," he said from the Columban order's base in Navan, Co Meath, where he has been staying since his return to Ireland.
Fr Sinnott said he didn't know Fr Roche personally, but he was acquainted with some of the older members of the Kiltegan order.
He hailed the work of Irish missionary priests around the world, as well as "the real heroes, who are the priests in Ireland who are under great strain and working day-by-day to serve the people, under a lot of pressure".
- Conor Kane
Irish Independent
