"They beat us on every part of our body," the newspaper quoted Father Lorenzo, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Church in the western city of Macuelizo, as saying.

He said police did not realize he was a priest until they took the men to the hospital for treatment of their wounds.

The priest's parishioners issued a statement Dec. 31 saying the three men "suffered an assault, abduction, and intent of homicide by members of the ... police."

"The priest and his two companions were tortured and injured in the face, suffered injuries in their bodies caused by kicks and blows after being tortured; the principal purpose was to get into the vehicle and fling it into a 300-meter deep abyss. What can we call this in a country like Honduras?" the parishioners asked.

The actions of the Honduran national police force have come under scrutiny in recent months after some of its members have been involved in drug trafficking, motor vehicle theft and extortion, according to the Latin American Herald Tribune.