Mexican priest recovers from kidnapping ordeal

Mexican priest Father Clemente Morales Topete endured beatings, burns, and death threats after being abducted by a group of unknown individuals who held him captive for three days.

Bishop José de Jesús Herrera Quiñones of the Diocese of Culiacán in Sinaloa state reported what happened in a Nov. 1 statement , providing details on the assault. Herrera was reported missing on the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 24, after he had gone to a medical appointment.

The prelate recounted that Morales returned on his own to his parish, Risen Christ, on Tuesday, Oct. 27. He arrived, as described, “in a deplorable state, showing clear signs of the violence he had been subjected to.”

Seeing his condition, members of the community administered first aid; he was subsequently “taken to a clinic for specialized medical care, as he had sustained multiple blows and burns on various parts of his body.”

Herrera clarified that the priest’s injuries “did not pose an immediate threat to his life,” though they did require medical follow-up. In addition to the physical aftereffects, there is “the psychological and emotional impact of threats that the priest reported having received against his person.”…