Guerrilla priest saves lives of hostage citizens

FROM A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
A GUERRILLA priest is credited with saving the lives of five hostages and several policemen during a guerrilla raid on the town of San Pablo, Colombia.
About 50 guerrillas of the Army of National Liberation IELN) held the town for several hours while 150 others were posted outside San Pablo to prevent an army counterattack.
After rounding up policemen and the small army garrison and taking members of prominent families as hostages, the guerrillas staged "an indoctrination rally" in the town square. A 12-year-old guerrilla boy addressed the townspeople. "I am the mascot of this glorious army of liberation," he said. "We are waging this war in order to free you from the oligarchy. We will keep pounding, town after town, until we reach Bogota (Colombia's capital). Power to the people."
As he spoke, a policeman, A. Garcia, interrupted: "If you intend to kill us, go ahead and stop your humiliation."
OPPRESSORS Five guerrillas began pushing the prisoners away from the crowd in an obvious move to oblige. One policeman had already been killed and several wounded during the armed attack.
Then Fr. Domingo Lain, a Spanish priest who joined the guerrilla band two years ago, asked them to let the townspeople decide.
The people decided against any executions.
The guerrillas walked away with some 5400,000 cash from the local bank and the town hall, jewels. arms and radio equipment.
In what was described as "the strongest blow in Colombian guerrilla history," the ELN staged the raid on the seventh anniversary of their operations. The guerrillas charged with cries of "Liberation or death. long live Camilo!" The Colombian flag was replaced during the raid by
the black-and-red ELN standard.
CHAPLAIN
Camilo is Fr, Camila Torres, a university chaplain who turned guerrilla and was killed during an army ambush in February, 1966. Since then he became a symbol for the Christian left throughout Latin America.
Besides Fr. Lain, other priests have reportedly joined the guerrillas, including Frs. Manuel Perez, Carmelo Garcia and Jose Antonio Gutierrez. All came from Spain and served in several dioceses before taking to the moun.ains.
Fr. Garcia left the guerrillas and went to Lima, Peru, some time ago. Fr. Gutierrez' fate is unclear. Persistent reports said he was executed on orders from ELN commander Fabio Vazquez Castano for refusing to kill.
Fr. Lain is chaplain for the various guerrilla groups fighting in Bolivar and Santander provinces.
Mill Hill junior seminary closing in June
TUNE has been announced as 4, the date for the closing of St. Peter's College, Freshfield, Liverpool, the junior seminary run by the Mill Hill Fathers. A spokesman said: "After the closure, which was announced last year. the students will go either to grammar schools of their choice or university. Those wishing to continue their studies for the priesthood will go to our seminary in I Iolland."
The Mill Hill Fathers plan to
close all their junior seminaries, partly because of staffing and finance problems and partly because of a change
in policy , towards junior semi naries. No plans have been made for the future of the
extensive buildings and grounds which have been St. Peter's College since 1884.