Some 28 Roman Catholic “pastoral care workers” – a term which includes priests, religious women, seminarians, and laity – were killed in 2016 with more than a third of them based in the Americas, according to the Catholic news agency Agenzia Fides.
The organisation reports that 12 pastoral care workers were killed in the Americas – nine priests and three religious sisters, a figure which is more than double that of 2015. In Africa, eight were killed – three priests, two nuns, one seminarian and two lay people, in Asia, seven were killed – one priest, four nuns and two lay people, and in Europe one priest was killed.
The majority of those who died were killed in attempted robberies while others were violently attacked, “a sign”, reports Fides, “of the climate of moral decline, economic and cultural poverty, which generates violence and disregard for human life”.
Among those who faced a violent death were Fr José Luis Sánchez Ruiz, of the Diocese of San Andres Tuxtla in Veracruz, Mexico, who was kidnapped and killed after receiving threats following his “harsh criticism” of corruption and rampant crime. Others killed included French priest Fr Jacques Hamel who was murdered in a terror attack at the church in Normandy, France, where he was celebrating Mass.
In terms of countries, the African nation of Democratoc Republic of Congo recorded the highest number of Catholic pastoral care workers killed – five, including two priests killed in an ambush and two Caritas workers killed during a street robbery. Yemen had the second highest total – brought about when four Missionary Sisters of Charity were killed in an attack on their convent and nursing home, while Brazil, Mexico and the US all recorded three killings.
Other nations were killings took place included Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia, South Sudan, Nigeria, Syria, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
