Colombia: parish priest murdered

A Colombian parish priest was stabbed to death yesterday. Diocesan priest Don Jose Francisco Velez Echeverri, 55, was found dead with stab wounds in the courtyard of his house in the neighborhood El Albergue, in the south of Buga, about 250 kilometres from the capital Bogota.

Neighbours reported seeing a person on a bicycle leaving from the priest's house a few hours before the discovery of his lifeless body.

At present the police think Fr Jose was the victim of a robbery which went wrong. The priest was very much involved in social work and his parishioners say he did not have any enemies.

The murder has caused dismay and deep sorrow throughout the Diocese of Buga,whuch is led by Bishop Jose Roberto Ospina Leongamez.

Don Jose Francisco, was ordained a priest on 20 January, 1990. For two years he had been parish priest at the Infant Jesus of Prague parish, in the municipality of Tulua. He also worked in the parishes of Alto Bonito and San Vicente de Paul, in Buga, and in the parishes of Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Holy Family, in Sevilla.

According to the statistics collected by Fides, in 2012, for the fourth consecutive year, South America registered the highest number of pastoral workers killed compared to other continents. In Colombia in 2012, a priest was killed; in 201, 1 six priests and one lay person were killed; in 2010, three priests and a religious died; in 2009 five priests and one lay person died violently.

Source: Fides