Bishops and

priests still
in captivity
MGR. THOMAS QUINLAN'S release still leaves many of the remaining 31 foreign missionaries known to he held by the Chinese and North Koreans unaccounted for.
Last week, after repeated enquiries for nearly three years had failed to break the Communists' silence. Moscow announced that Bishop Patrick Byrne. of Washington, the missing Apostolic Delegate in Seoul, had died in Korea. Bishop Byrne has already been posted as "presumed dead" by the Vatican.
At the same time Moscow stated that seven U.S. civilians were going to he released, and the North Koreans sent word through Moscow that three other Americans. including two missionaries. are still missing without trace. These are Mgr. Patrick Brennan, a Chicago Columban missionary, Prefect Apostolic of Kwangju, and Fr. James McGinn, another Columban.
Among the U.S. civilians about to be set free is Fr. William Booth, Maryknoll Missioner.
Fr. Patrick O'Connor, N.C.W.C, correspondent in Korea, lists among captured missionaries the 20 Korean priests taken in 1950. in addition to Bishop Sauer, O.S.B.. Vicar Apostolic of Hamheung, 21 Benedictine priests, 25 brothers and 20 sisters--most of them Germans—impritoned by the Communists in 1949, and Fr. Philip Crosbie, an Australian Columban.
Bishop Sauer and two of his Benedictine priests are since known to have died in prison. Nothing is known of the others.
Another Bishop-prisoner is Mgr. Francis Hong, Vicar Apostolic of Pyongyang.
him the Congressional Medal of Honour for what he did for the Americans. He was truly wonderful. "He was our banner, and in a group of remarkably selfless heroic people —the missionaries of Korea—Thomas Quinlan was, without trying, the most remarkable.
"A saint came to be with us in our hours of trial. To meet him it was worth being interned, and having met hiM, you could not lose hope." Moscow's only American priest, Fr. George Bissonnette, was waiting with the British Ambassador and his party when the "peace express" carrying the released civilian prisoners made the first of its triumphant stops in the Russian capital. "Where's Mgr. Quinlan?" shouted a pressman waiting with the priest. "Here I am," answered an unmistakably Irish voice. And then the two priests clasped hands, with tears in their eyes.
In Berlin Mgr. Quinlan is reported to have said that he was in first-class shape, and on being asked about the food in captivity, he replied: "I guess they did the heal they could." Many times the Communists tried to indoctrinate us, Mgr. Quinlan added, but gave it up when they