Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Agostiniani, Provincia di Nuestra Señora de Gracia
Bogotá (Agenzia Fides) – Forty days after his disappearance, Carlos Saúl Jaimes Guerrero, an Augustinian priest belonging to the Province of Our Lady of Grace, has been released. The priest’s religious community announced this in a statement: “With profound gratitude, we want to share with all of you—friends, faithful, religious communities, and people of good will who have listened to us—news that fills us with joy: our brother, Father Carlos Saúl Jaimes, has been released.”The priest, according to the government of the department of Cundinamarca, “was kidnapped on June 17 in a rural area of the municipality of Viotá and released on the morning of Sunday, July 27, in a rural area of the municipality of El Colegio. He was found in good health.”Father Carlos disappeared after leaving for a farm known as Casacoima, on the outskirts of Viotá. A few hours later, his vehicle was found abandoned on a path near a ravine, with the engine running. Since then, various joint operations have been launched between the Viotá Mayor’s Office, the police, and the National Guard.Once the investigation began, law enforcement followed the kidnapping, among others. However, no one claimed responsibility for the incident, nor was a ransom demanded. The family also offered a reward for anyone who provided information useful in finding the priest. However, nothing was known until July 27, when law enforcement finally found him.The website of the Cundinamarca Department Governor’s Office specifies that “at the express request of the family, no further details about the circumstances of his release will be revealed.” No precise information has yet been provided about the days of his disappearance.The Augustinian Order expressed its gratitude for the community’s support and asked for discretion: “We ask for understanding and respect so that Father Carlos Saúl can have a satisfactory recovery together with his family and the religious community.” (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 30/7/2025)
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