VILLAVICENCIO, Colombia, NOV. 7, 2003 (Zenit.org).- In less than a day, another priest has been killed in Colombia. Father Enrique Lopez, age 44, was found Wednesday in Villavicencio, in the province of Meta.
According to police sources quoted by Radio Cadena Nacional (Colombia’s version of National Public Radio), the body of Father Lopez was found by his housekeeper seated, gagged, and stabbed to death in his rectory.
It is thought the murder occurred Tuesday night. Authorities have yet to offer possible motives for the murder, or information on suspects.
The newspaper «El Tiempo» reports Bishop Octavio Ruiz of Villavicencio as saying that for, «the time being, we don’t know of any threats against him.» This was the second murder of a Catholic priest in Colombia in less than a day.
Father Saulo Carreño, was likewise shot to death Tuesday on his way to visit the sick in Saravena Hospital, in the conflict-ridden province of Arauca. Unknown assassins also killed hospital employee Maritza Linares on that occasion, who was in the same car at the time.
