Twenty three missionaries died violently during 2010.
According to
Fides, those killed included: one Bishop, 15 priests, one male
religious, one religious sister, two seminarians and three lay people.
The place most affected, with an extremely elevated number of deaths
is America, where 15 were killed.
Next is Asia, with one Bishop, four
priests and one religious sister killed.
The least affected was Africa,
where one priests and one seminarian violently lost their lives.
Fides' list does not only include missionaries in the strict sense
but all pastoral care workers who died violent deaths.
The short
biographical notes of these brothers and sisters killed help to
understand how they offered all their lives to proclaim the Gospel not
only with words but with deeds.
For example Father Peter Bombacha, aged
74, had created and operated, with the help of lay people, a recovery
home for alcoholics in India. Many Hindus expressed their dismay at his
death. Julien Kénord, aged 27, a Caritas worker, was killed
in a robbery in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He had helped the victims of the
earthquake to rebuild their lives.
Some missionaries were victims of violence, fighting it or being
willing to help others with the small everyday problems, giving their
own safety last priority. This year in particular many were killed in
attempted robberies or kidnappings which ended badly, caught in their
homes by bandits in search of imaginary riches. Others were killed for
their faith.
“Our world continues to be marked by violence, especially against the
disciples of Christ,” Said Pope Benedict XVI (Angelus, 26 December,
2010), recording that “the ground is bathed in blood” in various parts
of the world, hitting even the Catholic communities gathered in prayer
in places of worship.
In America pastoral care workers were killed in: Brazil (5), Colombia
(3), Mexico (2), Peru (2), Venezuela, Haiti, Ecuador. In Brazil, where
the greatest number died, Father Dejair Gonçalves de Almeida and the lay
person Epaminondas Marques da Silva were attacked in the rectory by
robbers in search of money. Also killed in that country were Father
Rubens Almeida Gonçalves, Seminarian Mario Dayvit Pinheiro Reis, and
Father Bernardo Muniz Rabelo Amaral.
In Colombia, Father Herminio Calero Alumia, killed during a
discussion at a police blockade; Luis Enrique Pineda, Salesian
Coadjutor, and Father Román de Jesús Zapata also died violently. In
Mexico, Father José Luis Parra Puerto and Father Carlos Salvador Wotto
were killed.
In Peru, thieves entered the convent to rob Father Linán Ruiz
Morales, OFM, and his colleague, Ananias Aguila: the body of the priest
was found in his bedroom, the second was found in the kitchen next to
the church, where there is a canteen for the poor.
In Venezuela, Father
Esteban Robert Wood died, and Ecuador the body of Polish missionary
Father Miroslaw Karczewski was found in the rectory of his parish, with
wounds to his neck and to other parts of his body, his mobile telephone
and computer were stolen.
In Haiti Caritas worker, Julien Kénord, was
killed following an attempted robbery. He had just received a check in a
local bank when he was attacked with blows from a firearm by
strangers.
In 2010 in Asia they died in: Iraq (2), China (2), India, Turkey. In
the latter Bishop Luigi Padovese, President of the Episcopal Conference
of Turkey, was knifed to death by his driver while he was at his home in
Iskenderun.
In Iraq Father Wasim Sabieh and Father Thaier Saad Abdal
were killed during the attack on the Syrian Catholic Cathedral of
Bagdad, which caused dozens of deaths and injuries among the faithful
who were gathered for Sunday Holy Mass.
In China, Father Joseph Zhang Shulai, General Vicar of the Diocese of
Ningxia, and Sister Maria Wei Yanhui, from the same diocese, were
killed in the Home for the elderly in Wuhai, Wuda district, in inner
Mongolia, by a lay person who wanted revenge for being fired.
In India,
Father Peter Bombacha was killed by strangers in the ashram he founded
in Baboola.
A priest and a seminarian were killed in Africa, both in the
Democratic Republic of Congo. Father Christian Bakulene was returning to
his parish with a friend, in north Kivu, when two armed men in uniform
stopped and killed him after taking his friend's money.
The Jesuit
seminarian from Togo, Nicolas Eklou Komla, was killed by robbers while
he was returning from school with friends.
SIC: CIN/IE