PAGADIAN CITY – Heavily armed men barged into a Catholic convent in this city on Sunday night and seized a sick Irish priest in front of his house companions in another apparent case of kidnapping for ransom.

Fr. Michael Sinnott, 78, was seize by up to six gunmen at around 7:30 p.m. and dragged him into a waiting getaway vehicle that fled towards the coastal area of this city, the police and military said here.

“Father Sinnott is a good man. We don’t know why he was kidnapped. He lived almost all his life in Mindanao.

He is weak and old, but still active in many interfaith forums,” said one of the priest's friends who declined to be identified.

“They cannot do anything because the men were armed. They pleaded, but the men still took Father Michael. We are praying for his safety,” she said.

The motive for the kidnapping remained unknown and no group has claimed responsibility.

Sinnott, of the Missionary Society of St. Columban, was ordained in 1954 and following studies in Rome was assigned to Mindanao in 1957.

He served in Mindanao until 1966 and was then assigned to the theology staff in Dalgan Park, Navan in Ireland. He returned to Philippines in 1976 where he has served in a variety of pastoral and administrative roles.

Since 1998 he has been involved with “The Center and School for Special Children” which he established.

The military’s Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) said up to five armed men forcibly took the priest as he was strolling outside the Columban Mission in Pagadian City’s Gatas District.

Gen. Romeo Lustestica, commander of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, said as of press time, authorities have yet to receive word from the abductors.

“So far ngayon wala pang kumbaga negotiator ang grupo and hopefully they will contact the crisis management committee and they will send their feelers but so far wala pang feeler ang kidnap group na yan,” he said.

“Pambihira naman sila, wala naman silang konsensiya, hindi na sila naawa sa isang pari, Irish pa at 78 who has undergone bypass operation. So anong puso naman meron sila kung basta-basta lang nila kikidnapin yan for no reason at all? So most probably they wanted money out of their actions,” Lustestica added.

The military official said Fr. Sinnot, in his many years of stay in the country, particularly in Pagadian City, has done a lot of help to the people.

“Marami na siyang natulungan in his so many years of stay in the Philippines, specifically in Pagadian. Kaya nga it was a deep concern for no less than the bishop here and the people of Pagadian nung in-abduct siya,” Lustestica said.

Catholic prelates appealed to the abductors to release the Irish priest due to his medical condition. “We appeal to his abductors to treat him with respect and release him soonest.

Fr. Mick is not in the best of health and badly needs his daily dosage of medicine. With him is only one day of medicine. We are urging the abductors for arrangement to be made to ensure that Fr. Mick gets his medicine,” Pagadian Bishop Emmanuel Cabajar said over Church-run Radio Veritas 846 Monday.

“He is a man of peace. Please allow him to go back to his charitable work,” he added.

Catarman Bishop Emmanuel Trance also echoed the call of Cabajar to the kidnappers saying the abduction of Sinnott will not be of help to their cause.

“If they have any cause at all this abduction will not help their cause,” he said.

“I join in prayers for Fr. Sinnott and for authorities to recover safely the 78-year-old adducted priest,” he said.

The priest was reportedly walking inside the mission compound after dinner and when three of the convent’s employees were about to close the gate, a man pushed the gate and said he wanted to talk to the priest.

Witnesses said three or four other men immediately entered and took the missionary to a vehicle. The vehicle was later found torched in the city’s coastal area by local authorities.