MANILA, THE PHILIPPINES - The convicted killer of an Italian priest was freed in the Philippines on Friday after 23 years in jail following an apology to the dead man's colleagues.

Norberto Manero, who was found guilty of the murder of Father Tulio Favali in 1985, had his sentence cut in 1998 from 40 years to 23 years.

Manero, who was greeted by his wife at the jail, was mobbed by reporters who asked him if it was true that he ate part of his victim's brains as widely rumoured.

"No, no," he replied in a soft voice.

His release comes after government talks with the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines in January at which the church hierarchy said it had no objections to Manero?s freedom.

Manero, a leader of anti-communist vigilantes on the southern island of Mindanao, killed Favali, a member of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) due to suspicions that the priest was sympathetic to communist guerrillas.

The case grabbed international attention, highlighting the violence in the conflict between Maoist guerrillas and government forces, including the actions of vigilante groups often accused of carrying out human rights abuses.

PIME spokesman Father Peter Geremia said Manero had told them that he was sorry for his actions and will now be "a model for repentance."