Bishop kidnapped by Marxist rebels not given message for government

Bishop Misael Vacca of Yopal, Colombia, who was released after being kidnapped for three days, confirmed he was held captive by the illegal Marxist group ELN, but he said that because of "a lack of coordination" the guerrilla movement was not able to send the political message it had announced it would.

According to the bishop, the ELN intended to have him convey a message to the President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe.

"From what they told me, I was kidnapped because they wanted me to bring a message to the government, but apparently the person who was going to give me the message wasn't able to show up, so the only thing they gave me was a huge scare," the bishop told reporters in Yopal.

Bishop Vacca confirmed that he was held on a ranch by four people, two men and two women.

"The troops (of the Colombian military) were present in the area and that for sure was what prevented this person from showing up and bringing the message that they wanted to give me," he added.

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