An Augustinian priest in Colombia who disappeared in June has been released, his order confirmed in a July 27 statement.

Fr. Carlos Saúl Jaimes Guerrero of the Order of St. Augustine's Province of Our Lady of Grace of Colombia had gone missing June 17, after driving from Hacienda Casacoima, a farm where he promoted youth and senior citizen activities, to a scheduled meeting nearby. Early reports indicated the appointment was set to take place at a nearby ravine.

Later that day, the 30-year-old priest's vehicle was found on the side of a local road with the engine still on, the doors open and no signs of violence.

Advertisement

Without specifying the circumstances of his return, the Augustinian province said in its Spanish-language statement that Jaimes had been "liberated and was already reunited safe and sound with his family.” 

The province expressed its deep gratitude for the prayers and messages of support it had received on behalf of the priest, which were "a beautiful witness of communion and shared faith."

Advertisement

"We give thanks to God for this moment of hope and for having sustained with His strength" the priest amid "the difficult days" he had endured, said the province.

Days after Jaimes' disappearance, authorities discovered a mass grave with the bodies of eight religious and community leaders, including evangelical and Protestant missionaries, who had disappeared in April. The group had vanished in the city of Calamar after being invited to meet with members of a guerrilla organization.

Police and several governmental agencies teamed up to track down the missing priest, with the nation's air force conducting helicopter flights and the municipal government of Viotá, the city near which Jaimes had disappeared, offering a reward for information.

The priest's mother and one of his sisters recorded social media videos pleading for his release, while hundreds of Viotá residents held a June 26 candlelight march and vigil for his return. An Augustinian-operated radio station also led a novena for the missing cleric.

Advertisement

The province called for continued prayers as Jaimes recovers from the experience, saying "an important time" had opened up for the priest — "a period of recuperation, serenity and fraternal accompaniment" with his family and religious order.

According to Open Doors International, a global advocacy group monitoring Christian persecution, Christians in Colombia must navigate a "fragile peace between the government and guerrilla groups," the latter of which — often aligned with drug trafficking gangs — often violently target the faithful, who are seen as opposing cartels and discouraging youth from joining the guerillas.