Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Archbishop Socrates Villegas urged Filipino Catholics to pray for the safety of those taken hostage, including a priest, by the Maute terrorist group in Marawi City. According to Villegas, Fr. Chito Suganob and others were in the Cathedral of St. Mary’s when members of the Maute fighting group forced their way into the Cathedral, taking with them Suganob and others as hostages. “They have threatened to kill the hostages if the government forces unleashed against them are not recalled,” Villegas said in a statement. He appealed to the government forces to make the safety of the hostages a primordial consideration as they ensure that the law is upheld.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer May 24, 2017 01:52 UTC