Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
6 January 2009
Five Catholic pastoral workers in Africa were among 20 church personnel worldwide who suffered violent deaths last year.
The annual list published by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples includes 3 priests, one religious, and a lay volunteer who were brutally killed in Kenya, Guinea-Conakry, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In Kenya, Fr. Michael Kamau Ithondeka, Vice-Rector of Mathias Mulumba Senior Seminary Tindinyo, was killed at an illegal road block mounted by a gang of armed youth on the Nakuru-Eldama Ravine road, during the post-election violence.
The body of Fr. Brian Thorp of the Mill Hill Missionaries was found in the parish residence in Lamu, Archdiocese of Mombasa. He was apparently a victim of a night robbery.
Brother Joseph Douet, 62 years of age, of the Christian Brothers of Saint Gabriel, was killed in Katako, in Guinea Conakry, at the school he had founded. While he was in prayer, he was attacked by thugs who bound him and placed a sack on his head, suffocating him.
Nigerian Fr. John Mark Ikpiki was killed in Isiokolo, Delta State, by robbers who wanted to steal his car, which was later found abandoned.
Amongst the tragic deaths in the civil war in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was that of lay volunteer, Boduin Ntamenya, a native of Goma (North Kivu). He was killed while carrying out his work in a war zone. He worked for the Italian NGO, AVSI.
Overall, Asia, recorded the most deaths, with an archbishop, 6 priests, and a lay volunteer killed in Iraq, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Nepal.
In the Americas, 5 priests were killed: 2 in Mexico, 1 in Venezuela, 1 in Colombia, and 1 in Brazil. In Europe, two priests were killed, both in Russia.
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