VALENCIA, Spain, DEC. 19, 2000 (ZENIT.org).-
A violent Satanic sect known as «The Brothers» might have been responsible for stabbing a priest who is an expert in secret religious groups, police say.
Father Priscilio Ruiz Picazo was stabbed Dec. 13 in the port of Gandia, where he arrived after receiving a call to investigate a Satanic-rituals case. Researcher Antonio Toscano, one of the priest´s collaborators and an expert in Valencia´s sects, said those who attacked the priest did not intend to kill him but wanted «to give him a fright so that he would stop asking questions.» The priest did not want the crime reported, but the medical personnel attending him informed the police.
Father Ruiz Picazo, 42, promoter of the Veritas Foundation of the Archdiocese of Valencia for the study of sects and new religious movements, and for the care of their victims, is also an adviser on sects of the Spanish bishops´ conference. He admitted that the attack is related to his research and called it a «labor accident.»
The Brothers sect operates in Gandia, where Father Ruiz Picazo has been parish priest for years. The sect is composed of a small group of about five to 10 middle-aged members who practice Satanic rites «as a macabre relief or amusement,» researcher Toscano said. The members are educated and well-to-do financially, he said.
Toscano maintains that The Brothers are a «very dangerous» sect. «They adore the Evil One, profane churches and cemeteries, perform baptisms with blood and sacrifice animals,» he said. «If you try to find out about them, they´ll be after you, without a doubt. They are vengeful and move much money.»
