Second priest murdered in Cuba

The body of Spanish priest Mariano Arroyo, killed in the early morning hours on July 13, was delivered yesterday to the Catholic Church, as preparations are made for a funeral service in the Cathedral of Havana, and on July 17 it will be taken by plane to Spain. According to diplomatic and religious sources, Cuban authorities have ended the autopsy and have handed over the 74 year-old priest's remains. It appears that he was gagged, handcuffed, stabbed, and partially burned in a bed in the house next to the Church, in the Havana neighborhood of Regla.

The Chancellor of the Archdiocese, Monsignor Ramon Suarez Polcari, affirmed this Wednesday in a statement, that Cardinal Jaime Ortega, Archbishop of La Havana, has arranged for a funeral to be held on Friday morning in Havana's Cathedral, as a result of "the extraordinary missionary work, apostolic zeal, and priestly dedication of the deceased." "This same day, in the afternoon, the remains of Fr. Mariano Arroyo will be transferred to Spain, for a Christian burial in his native land of Cantabria, in fulfillment of the desire of his family members," the message adds. The funeral Mass was celebrated on the morning of July 17, with the cardinal archbishop as celebrant.

This is the second Spanish priest murdered this year in Cuba, as this past February 14, Rev. Eduardo de la Fuente (61 years of age), pastor of Saint Clara parish, was found stabbed and strangled in the Havana neighborhood of Lawton. Until now, no information has been released from the investigations on the cases, which are similar as "the procedure has been the same: torture, relentlessness," as it was described by Spanish priest Rev. Isidro Hoyos, friend of the victims and pastor in a parish in Alamar, on the outskirts of Havana.

Source: FIDES