BOGOTA, Sep. 5, 00 (CWNews.com)

    A Catholic priest who is the uncle of the Colombian presidential candidate now leading in the polls said he was held by leftist rebels for six days and released on Monday.

    Father Gerardo Sanin, 74, said he was held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), although the group has neither admitted nor denied kidnapping the elderly priest. Father Sanin is the uncle of the former foreign minister and presidential candidate Noemi Sanin, who is running for president in elections in 2002. The abduction had prompted an outcry from Catholics and public officials.

    Father Sanin said he had lost faith in the peace negotiations between the government and FARC. I don't believe in that," he told Colombia's Radionet Radio. "The FARC says one thing and does another."

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