DUBLIN, IRELAND - An elderly Irish priest kidnapped in the Philippines has been freed, ending a month-long ordeal, the Irish government said late Wednesday.

Father Michael Sinnott, 79, a Roman Catholic missionary, was abducted by six armed men from his compound on the troubled Mindanao island on October 11.

Sinnott has a history of heart problems and his religious order, the Society of St. Columbans, has repeatedly expressed fears about the impact the ordeal would have on his health.

"He has been handed over to a clinic where he is being looked after and medically checked," said Foreign Minister Micheal Martin told reporters.

"He is as well as can be expected," he added.

Martin said no ransom had been paid by the Irish government, despite demands from his Philippine captors for two million dollars for his safe release.

"To do so would only have jeopardised the vital work of aid workers and missionaries around the world - it would also place other Irish citizens in danger," Martin said separately in a statement.

The Philippine government blamed Muslim separatists from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the abduction.

Prime Minister Brian Cowen said he was relieved to learn Sinnott had been freed, adding "all our prayers have been answered."

"We are all relieved and thankful that Father Michael's difficult ordeal has been brought to an end and that all our prayers have been answered," he said.

"On behalf of the government, I want to commend the government of the Philippines and our Ambassador Richard O'Brien, and our officials who have all worked with great commitment and resolve to bring about Father Michael's
release," he said in a statement.

Martin said Sinnott had shown great strength during his ordeal despite his age and difficult health.

"Father Michael has spent much his life working for the poorest of the poor in the Philippines, and I know that the ordinary people of the Philippines will be overjoyed to have him returned safe and well to his community," he said.

"It has been a tough 32 days for everybody concerned, but particularly so for those who were waiting anxiously at the end of the phone for news of their loved one," he added.

Sinnott was kidnapped from his compound in the southern city of Pagadian. A video was later sent to Philippine authorities, showing Sinnott speaking and requesting the ransom.

Since 1978 the 12,000-strong MILF has been waging a rebellion for an independent Islamic state in the southern third of the mainly Catholic Philippines.

It signed a ceasefire with Manila in 2003, but peace talks were suspended last year when MILF commanders launched deadly raids across Mindanao. --AFP