An American priest serving in Venezuela was detained by government officials on Thursday before the Vatican’s representative to the South American country helped secure his release later in the day.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis shared on social media that Father Gregory Schaffer, a diocesan priest who has been serving at the archdiocese’s mission parish in the Venezuelan Diocese of Ciudad Guayana for more than 20 years, had been taken into custody “by the national security agency” that morning.

Members of Father Schaffer’s parish in Venezuela, Jesucristo Resucitado in San Felix, had alerted the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis of the missionary priest’s detainment.

“Please pray for Fr. Greg’s safety and safe return to his parish,” read an archdiocesan post on X at 12:07 p.m. Central Time.

However, about two hours later, the Minnesota archdiocese posted that Father Schaffer had been released “after an outreach from the apostolic nuncio in Venezuela.” The apostolic nuncio is Archbishop Alberto Ortega Martín, a Spanish prelate and career diplomat who has held the post for just over a year.

“Thank you for your prayers!” read the archdiocese’s post, which was published at 1:58 p.m.

One local Catholic in Venezuela told the Register that Father Schaffer was back in his house in Venezuela “safe and sound.”

Another source close to the situation, who asked not to be named, said that Father Schaffer’s detainment was the result of a “misunderstanding.” The source shared that the priest had “been intercepted” by security forces that morning on his way to visit a parish community after celebrating Mass.

“He was taken to their headquarters and released a few hours later after a misunderstanding was cleared up,” the source said.

An additional diocesan source similarly said that the detainment had been the result of “a confusion.”

Both Catholic priests and American citizens have faced reprisals in Venezuela under the leadership of socialist president Nicolás Maduro.

Local Church leaders have accused the government and its supporters of engaging in a campaign of intimidation, which has included harassing priests during Mass and a criminal investigation into two bishops who made critical remarks of the government in homilies.

Meanwhile, American citizens in Venezuela have increasingly been the target of government detention in what the U.S. State Department has described as politically motivated and warrantless crackdowns. Earlier this month, 10 U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela were released in exchange for the return of Venezuelan migrants to the U.S. who had been deported to El Salvador.

Father Schaffer’s detainment isn’t the first time the Minnesota priest, who has spent almost all of his 31 years of ordained ministry Venezuela, has faced a hairy situation in Ciudad Guayana. The Minnesotan priest installed an electric fence at his rectory after an attempted break-in in 2017. And a former parochical vicar, Father James Peterson, had been held up at gunpoint during his three years of service in the country. Parishioners have also been robbed and even kidnapped and held for ransom.

Like much of Venezuela, the eastern city of Ciudad Guayana has been plunged into poverty and violence over the past 12 years due to collapse of the price of petrol, the country’s top export, and the policies of the Maduro regime.

Still, Father Schaffer has repeatedly insisted on returning to Venezuela and serving the people of Jesucristo Resucitado and Ciudad Guayana. He was appointed vicar general of the Venezuelan diocese in 2016 and even stepped in as apostolic administrator the following year during a period of sede vacante.

A parishioner told the Register that an hour of Eucharistic adoration would be celebrated Thursday at Jesucristo Resucitado at 5 p.m. local time, to give thanks to God for the priest’s safe return.