After All
         
          After my last report, I honestly thought my story was done on this wretched priest. Completed, tossed aside, unworthy of a proper ending. I had seen too much and yet not enough at the same time. Some pieces don't deserve to be finished, and I assumed this one would be one of them....but it seems as if I must complete this story for some reason beyond my knowledge. It followed me all the way to Northern Mexico...
         Just last week I had been assigned to go with several colleagues to Northern Mexico to cover some breaking action over some bandits that had escaped a local prison. On my way to meet with the town's mayor, I passed by a nice neighborhood. I thought nothing of it until I saw someone lounging on a veranda and, trying to be amiable, offered him a friendly wave. He smiled and waved back, but then froze, his face expressionless. You guessed-it was the priest. I gave him a look of contempt and disgust before walking away.
        How DARE HE! Just weeks ago I followed him to a town where people were being taken hostage over his "absence"  and his child was starving and angry at her absentee father. The nerve of this man, to sit in luxury and let people die over his nonappearance was both appalling and sickening. At the point, I was thrilled that I had dropped his story. People can learn for themselves first-hand that pride is the only device keeping this drunkard afloat. 
       Unfortunately, I ran into the priest AGAIN in the town square where he was found baptizing babies, brandy in hand, bargaining with a young mother over the baptism price. Fully shameless. For a split second we shared eye contact, but this time he was the one who walked away in shame. 
       I returned back to my regular report base here in Mexico several days ago, and I haven't personally seen the whiskey priest since our last awkward encounter. However, I did hear the infamous "gringo" did pass away, and that the whiskey priest was thrown in jail permanently. The chief Lieutenant did comment that the priest's trial takes place tomorrow in a neighboring village. The outcome does not look bright.
      For those of you who have been patient enough to track with me on this story, I sincerely thank you for caring enough to read. This is Bethany Sontag reporting, over and out.

                                                Alcohol...the Issue Above All Else?
          Priests, Lieutenants, Police. Rumors, Laws, Accusations, Hostages. If you haven't heard of any of these things happening throughout Mexico or even personally witnessed it in action, you have to be living under a rock or be blissfully ignorant. Everyone bemoans the prohibition of Catholicism and limitation on one's personal rights, but can alcohol, a seemingly irrelevant, small ban, be, in fact, a chief concern?
         Take the whiskey priest, for example. This man is puzzling, to be plain and simple. Always on the run, forever bound to a religion that according to himself, is unable to escape. Alcohol is a crippling, even debilitating crutch for him to lean on when  things become especially stressful. Sources in Mexico's capital city even confirmed the whiskey priest's stay several days ago as he drank heavily with an unidentified gentlemen, the governor's cousin, and the jefe. After one too many glasses of wine, the whiskey priest was seen to be stumbling about the streets, only to be chased down by group of men, some of which included the police, who promptly arrested him for the possession of alcohol. There was no comment at that time from the chief police as to when the man would be released from jail; some say that the police were oblivious to the fact that the infamous priest they are looking so hard for was sitting squarely in front of them.
         Several days later, the whiskey priest was surprisingly let go from jail. No one had a clue as to where this man was headed next; he never stays long enough anywhere to be recognized or to establish allies. Honestly, I think this priest's drinking problem will get him in bigger trouble than his actual career-I mean, hasn't it already?! This man's been arrested for alcohol usage instead of being recognized for his infamy. And also, many wonder how will he keep going? At this stage of being on the run, most likely the priest has no money or resources.
         Only time will tell how much longer the priest and his beloved whiskey will survive when the odds are not stacked in his favor at all.

                                                        An Unexpected Experience
          Nowadays, priests in Mexico are hard to find, especially if you're really looking for one. I took it upon myself to take the risky chance of actually speaking with one personally-maybe you know him,  he is commonly referred to as "the whiskey priest."
          This whiskey priest has been on the run for a long time now, so it was no surprise when I caught him running at breakneck speed towards his hometown to get away from the ever-searching police. I hoped he would stop for just a minute to talk, but he hastily replied, saying that he could only speak when at his destination; having no other choice, I followed him. Hours later and feet bloody, we arrived at a small, inconspicuous town. The air was tense and people stared at the priest as if he was a pariah when we walked into the town square. Anxious to avoid the stares and whispers, the priest and I hurriedly went to a friend's house-Maria. She graciously fed us and gave us whatever we needed from her. The priest also saw his daughter, Brigida, and it was obvious they had no real relationship. I suspect the priest's only intention for his daughter is to keep her safe. I hoped when they were finished speaking I could finally ask the priest a few questions, but after our long and tedious day, he had fallen asleep in exhaustion and I resigned myself to the fact that I would just have to get my answers in the morning. I went to the town square and slept on the hard cobblestone, annoyed that I had traveled so long for a simple story that wasn't receiving any answers.
          When I woke the next morning, the priest was gone. Utterly confused, I wandered around until eventually found him holding a mass service for the whole town. I observed the service in the corner, hoping I could talk to the priest and get my answers to the story I needed after he was done so I could be one my way already! Suddenly, men burst into the room, screaming that the police were close by. I expected the whiskey priest to bolt, but he waited until the last possible moment to leave. By then, it was too late: the police had surrounded the town and were investigating everyone. I thought for sure the priest would be caught, but he wasn't. The police told everyone in the town square to give them information about the runaway priest or else they would take hostages. No one spoke, so a hostage they took indeed. I was personally disgusted at how the priest spoke up for the hostage a moment after it was too late. The police left, and the whiskey priest returned to Maria's house, hoping for consolation but only receiving a strained and forced goodbye. I watched as he spoke with Brigida one last time, and how she mocked him to his face. The pain in his eyes was unmistakable.
          The whiskey priest left in the same direction that the police did, but I didn't follow him, even though I had no direct answers to my questions. As I dutifully began the long trek back to my hometown, I realized that I now know all I need to about this man.

                                    FAMILY WHO HIDES RUNAWAY PRIEST SPOTTED!
          Breaking news has just occurred here in Mexico! Despite supposed erroneous rumors of priests hiding from the government with selective families, I have actually spotted one! And you will be shocked to see where his true loyalty lies.....
          Captain Fellows!
           Yes, it's confirmed! One of the leading men of Mexico's community has officially been spotted hiding a priest in his house! This was seen at approximately 5:00 p.m. this evening when the Captain was questioned by the chief Lieutenant, who I previously interviewed. Neighbors said that Fellows spoke briefly with the Lieutenant in a cold and absent manner only in his doorway. The Lieutenant was speculated to have left approximately ten minutes later. Fellows was heard bellowing in his house minutes after the Lieutenant left, obviously upset about whatever had been said between the two men. It is unclear who exactly Fellows was screaming at, but later that night his daughter Cora was seen taking a plate of food and blankets to the barn behind their house. Neither Captain Fellows nor his daughter had any comment on the matter. 
          The clear-cut facts have been laid on the table and the decision of where you think Fellow's family's loyalty lies is up to you. Do you think he's hiding something? 

                            Lieutenant Hunts for Priest(s)

          This just in: sources say that there may still be priests lurking about in Mexico!

          To investigate this theory, I hit the streets in hopes of getting conformation of this news from Mexico's chief Lieutenant. Unfortunately, the Lieutenant was unable to confirm nor deny these rumors of priests on the loose, but I did, in fact, catch a glimpse of one's picture on the WANTED wall next to "the gringo." Although the Lieutenant could not reveal any legitimate information on the runaway, he did say that the execution of a priest would be a virtuous deed because it would ultimately help to heal the entire state. Fellow townspeople have challenged this statement, but none have openly come forward with a direct argument towards the Lieutenant  All I can speculate is that all hidden priests should stay out of the Lieutenant's way for their own good.....this man is most definitely and openly seeking blood. 

         Tensions continue to run high in town as more and more laws continue to revoke religious privileges. Only time will tell how much the members of the community can tolerate under these stressful and severely limiting conditions. 

          Please stay tuned as I continue to uncover more of this fascinating story that looks to have an unpredictable ending.