On Monday the police found the body of Father Paulo Machado, 36, in his car, parked under a viaduct.
He was robbed of his watch, wallet and mobile phone, but the priest may have been targeted for his involvement in human rights activities, reported the Missionary News Service Agency.
The priest, who was buried on Tuesday, was known for his commitment to the relatives of 29 victims of a mass killing on March 31 in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.
“It is a great loss,” said a note of the diocese, “Father Machado infected all those who approached him with his incomparable joy.”
