Text transcribed from original caption.

C-18311

AMERICAN PRIEST LEAVES CHINA

HONG KONG -- Father Armand Proulx, S.J., 59, of Lowell, Mass.,

one of four Americans released by the Chinese Communists, is

shown aboard a British freighter on its arrival here from Tientsin.

The Jesuit priest described how he had resisted his captors'

"brainwashing" attempts during 43 months of imprisonment. Father

Proulx said he was consoled during his long captivity by the

thought that "whatever I suffered was for the grace of God."

He said the Reds kept trying to remake "my whole life, transform

my ideas and behavior by offering to reduce my sentence if I

fell for their bait." Father Proulx said he was questioned 30

times each for at least an hour, concerning "completely false"

charges that he had failed to register as director of the Legion of

Mary and that he had assaulted a beggar.

CREDIT MUST READ:

Religious News Service Photo (DDS-HK-CHINA-11A-LRB-C)