Pope urges release of all world's kidnap victims

VATICAN CITY, June 10 (Reuters) Pope Benedict appealed today for the release of all kidnap victims around the world on the day an Italian priest was snatched by Muslim rebels in the Philippines.

The pontiff made the appeal in his regular Sunday address in St Peter's Square, hours after Father Carlo Bossi was kidnapped in the southern Philippines just after celebrating mass.

''I frequently receive requests to help people, among them Catholic priests, who are kidnapped for different reasons in various parts of the world,'' said the Pope in his weekly Sunday address in St Peter's Square.

''I carry them all in my heart and have them all present in my prayers, and I think among other cases of Colombia,'' he said.

''I direct my heartfelt appeal to the authors of such terrible acts to take conscience of the evil they are doing and return all their prisoners to their loved ones,'' he said.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has tried to secure the release of hostages held by left-wing rebels in exchange for freeing jailed guerrilla leaders. Many kidnap victims have been held for years in Latin America's oldest left-wing insurgency.

They include French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, kidnapped in 2002, and three Americans held in secret jungle camps by the FARC since 2003.

REUTERS SLD BST1706