Kenya: Comboni missionary injured in robbery
Yesterday, just before the morning Mass, Fr Lawrence Cometto, parish priest of Githurai, on the northern outskirts of Nairobi, was badly beaten and wounded by robbers. The men entered the small mission compound at around 3.30am and disarmed the watchman, extracting from him information about the priest's routine. They waited for him to come out for the morning Mass, and at about 6.15am ambushed him, forcing him into a small house next to the church. The priest gave them all the money he had from the previous Sunday collections, but the robbers continued to beat him savagely and shot at him, fortunately missing. Fr Lawrence was found by parishioners lying in a pool of blood. He had heavy wounds on his head and cuts on his body. His right little finger had been cut off. He was rushed to the Aga Khan Hospital, where he is now out of immediate danger, and is recovering from shock. Fr Lawrence Cometto, 64, is an Italian Consolata Missionary, and former principal of Sagana Technical Training Institute in Murang'a Diocese. Since the beginning of January 2004, he has been the parish priest of Githurai in the Archdiocese of Nairobi. Source: CISA