Bogotá, Colombia, Nov 6, 2003 / 22:00 pm
Father Henry López of the city of Villavicencio became the second priest to be murdered in less than 24 hours in Columbia. A parish employee found the priest’s body, which was tied up and decapitated, in the parish rectory.
According the police information obtained by Columbia’s National Radio Network, the corpse of Fr. López was discovered when the parish employee arrived for work in the morning. Reports also said the priest was found seated in a chair with his hands died and his mouth gagged. The crime appeared to have occurred Tuesday night but so far police do not have motive or a suspect.
Meanwhile the community of Saravena, Columbia, gathered in the Church of Christ The King to pay their last respects to Fr. Saulo Carreño, was murdered earlier on Tuesday.
Hundreds of parishioners held a vigil before the remains of their pastor, and church bells were rung every hour as a sign of mourning. Bishop Carlos Meza of Arauca, together with 30 priests from the area, traveled to the city to participate in the vigil.