Fox to CBCP: Help free 3 missionaries

MANILA, Philippines — Australian nun Sister Patricia Anne Fox yesterday asked the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to include in their talks with Malacañang officials the release of three foreign Methodist missionaries who were prevented by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) from leaving the country. 

In a statement posted on the Facebook account “Hands Off Sister Pat,” Fox said she is hoping that the CBCP, which is setting a dialogue with representatives of President Duterte, would include the predicament of the three foreign missionaries in their agenda. 

The three missionaries reportedly in the BI’s custody were identified as Zimbabwe national Chandiwana Tawanda, American Thomas Shaw and Malawi citizen Miracle Oswan.

Fox said the three missionaries and 50 others were held at a checkpoint between Koronadal and Gen. Santos City last Feb. 22. They had just come from Lake Sebu to investigate a massacre in the area that took place in December 2017.