Father Gerard Jean-Juste, who has been jailed without charges in Haiti since last July, is physically sick, but still strong and courageous, said the permanent secretary of the Haitian bishops' conference.

Msgr Andre Pierre, who said he visits the imprisoned priest regularly and most recently saw him in mid-January, said Father Jean-Juste's neck and throat show the physical signs of leukemia. A doctor who examined the priest Dec 1 reported that the priest had swollen lymph nodes and an elevated white blood count, two indications of leukemia.

“He is suffering from leukemia,” Msgr Pierre said in a Jan 20 telephone interview. “I saw his throat ... you can touch it (the swelling from cancer) and feel it on his neck.”

But, the monsignor said, it still lifts his spirit when he visits Father Jean-Juste.

“I find him courageous and strong morally,” Msgr Pierre said, adding that the priest is around 60 years old. “He doesn't look like someone who is afraid of sickness.”

Msgr Pierre said that he has still not heard of any charges being filed officially and that a trial date has not yet been set.

Father Jean-Juste, well-known for his advocacy for impoverished Haitians, was incarcerated by the Haitian interim government for allegedly murdering a prominent journalist and inciting violence. Since his Oct 13, 2004, arrest, international human rights groups have claimed that the priest is a political prisoner arrested solely for his support of exiled former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Msgr Pierre said the imprisoned priest “has always been supportive of human rights -- taking care of the poor, educating them and promoting advocacy on behalf of the poor.”

Despite September reports that Haiti 's Lavalas Family party announced Father Jean-Juste as their pick for presidential candidate, Msgr Pierre said that Father Jean-Juste is not on the list of presidential candidates.

The presidential election is scheduled for early February, although it has been rescheduled three times due to violence and political unrest in the country.

(CNS)