.- On
March 11th, a young man armed with a long knife entered a Catholic
church and threatened two monks and about 25 young people who were
rehearsing for a Passion play. The young man also broke a door and
stole a cell phone. No one was injured. He was arrested and later
released.
But, rather than
reporting the violent crime, some newspapers downplayed the event or
reported that the boy had entered the church accusing the monks of
prostituting boys and girls, Fr Hanri Leylek, one of the monks, told
AsiaNews.
Fr. Leylek said the perpetrator had initially entered the church and mixed in with the youth of the parish.
“One of the boys
called me, telling me there was a stranger creating problems, who
wanted to talk to a priest. I went out of the room and started to talk
to him; seeing that he was saying disjointed things and threats, I
asked him to go outside. He refused and only threatened all the more,
swearing,” recounted Fr. Leylek.
When the young
man refused to cooperate, the priest decided to use the telephone in
the corridor to call the police. This is when the young man pulled out
a knife, about 80 cm long, which he had hidden behind his back.
Fr Leylek tried
to calm the young man. When another priest came into the room, Fr.
Leylek discreetly left and went to the police station nearby.
When the priest
arrived with policemen, the young man threatened the officers as well.
After further discussions with the young man, he surrendered to police.
“This was the
second attack on our parish,” Fr. Leylek told AsiaNews. The first took
place two months ago. Another young man kicked down the two doors of
the convent and forced his way in, saying he wanted to talk to a
priest. He was not armed but had burned books in the parish information
office. Two priests spoke to the young man, who later left with police
without resisting.
Since the murder
of Fr Andrea Santoro Feb. 28, national news media continue to talk
about missionaries and their proselytism, reported AsiaNews. According
to the Asian news agency, some say “this approach hides the political
struggle of religious fundamentalism against the current Turkish
government and its resolve to take Turkey into Europe.”
Did media downplay attacks on Turkish parish?
Related news
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May 23, 2013
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