Holy See still interested in the murder case of Cardinal Posadas

Rome, Italy, Jun 15, 2007 / 09:43 am

Speaking to the Notimex news agency from Rome, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iñiguez of Guadalajara (Mexico) said the Holy See continues to be interested in the investigations into the murder of Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo.

Cardinal Sandoval, who was named archbishop of Guadalajara following the death of Cardinal Posadas, said he met with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, together with the two lawyers who are following the case, Fernando Guzman Perez Pelaez and Jose Antonio Ortega.

“We requested a meeting with Cardinal Bertone to inform him of what we know about the Posadas case.  The Holy See has always been kept informed.  He welcomed us and showed much interest and reiterated his desire to know the truth,” Cardinal Sandoval told Notimex.

Cardinal Sandoval stressed that the struggle to find the truth has been going on for 13 years, “and the ones who should tell it are the judicial authorities of Mexico.  They should tell [the truth] to the Mexican people who anxiously await it.”

The cardinal said right now is a “good opportunity to achieve a definitive solution for the matter, with the new government in Mexico and with a new Secretary of State at the Vatican.”

Cardinal Posadas was brutally murdered on May 24, 1993, at the Guadalajara airport by a group of gunmen.

At that time the government said the cardinal’s death had been “accidental” because he was caught in the crossfire between to rival drug trafficking gangs.  However, numerous investigations placed responsibility for the murder on forces of the government linked to the more radical sectors of Mexican masonry, which may have been behind the murder of presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio, whose death has never been satisfactory explained either.

In October of 2006, shortly after being named Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone met with Cardinal Sandoval and with lawyers who have investigated the case.

According to attorney Jose Antonio Ortega, Cardinal Bertone was very attentive and interested, he showed he had a lot of information about the investigations, especially since Cardinal Sandoval was a prince of the Church and his murder remains unsolved.  All of us Catholics want to know the truth.”