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By CNA Staff
CNA Newsroom, Jan 26, 2023 / 14:30 pm
A sacristan was killed and a priest wounded during a suspected terrorist attack Wednesday on two Catholic churches in Spain.
As reported by Europa Press, according to police sources, the sacristan of the Church of Our Lady of La Palma was murdered and the pastor of St. Isidore Church was wounded.
Both churches are in the city of Algeciras near the far southern end of the Iberian peninsula across the strait of Gibraltar from Morocco.
Calatunya Press reported that the deceased sacristan is Diego Valencia, and the priest is Father Antonio Rodríguez.
The news outlet further reported that in the St. Isidore attack, the suspect entered the church and struck at statues with a machete. The priest tried to expel him and once outside, the suspect, dressed in a djellaba (typical Moroccan dress), stabbed the priest in the neck.
Sources from the 112 Andalusia Emergency Service informed Europa Press that the attack occurred around 7:30 p.m.
The Diocese of Cádiz-Ceuta where Algeciras is located said in a Jan. 26 statement that the injured priest is hospitalized and is “fortunately already out of danger.”
The deceased sacristan was “much loved in the parish and in the city for his dedication and affability with everyone,” the diocese related.
The National Court has initiated the investigation as an alleged jihadist terror attack, a process carried out by the Central Investigating Court No. 6.
In wake of the attacks, the mayor of Algeciras, José Ignacio Landaluce, decreed a day of official mourning, with flags at half staff on municipal buildings, and announced that a rally will be held in front of the city’s largest church.
Various Spanish bishops condemned the attack and offered their condolences to the victims and their families.
“It is with pain that I have received the news of the events in Algeciras,” Francisco César García, the auxiliary bishop of Toledo and secretary general of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, wrote on Twitter.
“In these sad moments of suffering, we join the grief of the families of the victims and the Diocese of Cádiz and ask the God of life and peace for the speedy recovery of the injured,” the prelate said.
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Sacristan killed, priest wounded in terrorist attacks in Spain; bishops condemn violence | Catholic News Agency
Sacristan killed, priest wounded in terrorist attacks in Spain; bishops condemn violence | Catholic News Agency
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