The Catholic Church in Colombia expressed its pain and rejection for the murder of Father Ramón Arturo Montejo Peinado, a 45-year-old priest, whose car criminals allegedly wanted to steal on June 4 around noon.
One of the bishops who has spoken out about these events has been Mons. Jorge Alberto Ossa Soto, Archbishop of Nueva Pamplona and Apostolic Administrator of Ocaña, who expressed in a statement his “deep pain and rejection at the tragic murder” of Father Montejo, “a fact that has plunged our community into deep consternation and sadness.”
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According to reports Caracol News, two armed robbers approached the priest when he was preparing to go to the Buenavista district, in Ocaña; department of Norte de Santander.
After struggling with the criminals, he was stabbed. During his escape aboard the priest’s vehicle they also ran him over.
Several hours after the homicide, the authorities pulled over the truck in the San Fermín neighborhood and captured two alleged perpetrators of the murder.
In his statement, Bishop Ossa raised his prayers for the eternal rest of the deceased priest and for “the Lord to provide comfort and strength to his family and friends, as well as to the entire community that had the privilege of knowing him and witnessing his death.” dedication and pastoral dedication.”
The archbishop reiterated his condemnation of the “irrational violence” that has claimed “the life of a priest who dedicated his life to spreading the message of peace and love of Jesus Christ,” and demanded that the authorities “thoroughly investigate this crime.” .
Who was the priest Ramón Arturo Montejo Peinado?
Father Ramón Arturo Montejo Peinado was born on March 1, 1979 in the town of Teorama. He worked as a parish priest in San José de Buenavista and was a delegate of the diocesan commission for reconciliation and peace.
His work included participation in several releases of kidnapped people in the Catatumbo region, one of the areas where the FARC narcoterrorist guerrilla has historically operated.
The priest’s funeral Mass will be celebrated on June 6 at 11:00 am (local time) at the San Pablo Apóstol-Teorama parish.
Walter Sánchez Silva
I have been a husband since 2008. My wife and I have three children here and one who went to heaven in 2023, before he was born. Since I joined ACI Prensa in 2005, I have had the opportunity to cover various events of the Catholic Church. Among them, the World Youth Days in Cologne, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro and the apostolic trips of Pope Benedict XVI to Mexico and of Pope Francis to South Korea. I have been sent to the Vatican to cover the Family synods, in 2015; of the Amazon, in 2019 and that of Synodality, in 2023. I closely follow the situation of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, which suffers persecution from the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega, as well as current ecclesiastical events in the region.