A gagged priest at Springfield’s St. Aloysius church called 911 late last year and asked them for help because he had been “playing” with handcuffs and he got stuck.

Audio of Father Tom Donovan’s Nov. 28 911 call was published by the Illinois Times on Thursday.

“I’m stuck in a pair of handcuffs and I’m going to need help getting out before it becomes a medical emergency,” Donovan tells the dispatcher in a muffled voice.

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“You’re stuck in a pair of handcuffs?” the dispatcher replies.

“Yes,” Donovan admits. “I was playing with them so I need some help getting out.”

When police arrived at the church, they discovered that the priest’s voice had sounded garbled because he was also wearing a gag, according to the Illinois Times.

Although the Diocese of Springfield had been provided with a police report and a audio of the 911 call, they had refused to comment on the incident.

“I wouldn’t be able to tell you where Father Donovan is,” diocese spokesperson Kathie Sass said. “There’s a matter of privacy there.”

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Sass told The State Journal-Register that Donovan had been granted a leave of absence in December for “personal reasons.”

Listen to this audio, uploaded Jan. 3, 2013.

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[Photo: Shutterstock.com]