Catholic Bishop Stabbed to Death in Southern Turkey
Posted by Jim Hoft on Thursday, June 3, 2010, 5:47 AM
(ADN Kronos)
Catholic Bishop Luigi Padovese was stabbed to death today in southern Turkey.
CNN reported:
A Catholic bishop has been stabbed to death in southern Turkey, the Vatican Embassy in Ankara confirmed on Thursday.
The victim was identified by the Vatican as Luigi Padovese, the apostolic vicar of Anatolia. He was assaulted on Thursday in his house in Iskenderun, located in Hatay province, the Vatican said.
Church officials expressed “shock and sorrow” over the death of Padovese, also the president of the Turkey Bishops Conference
“I can only express an immense pain over this violent act that has taken us by surprise,” Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said.
“The tragedy of this event shows the difficulty that the Christian community endures in the Middle East region.”
Roman Catholics in Turkey “occasionally have been subjected to violent societal attacks,” according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a U.S. government agency.
The group’s latest report cites the February 2006 shooting death of “an Italian Catholic priest” in Trabzon by a boy “angered over the caricatures of the Muslim prophet in Danish newspapers.”
Archbishop Luigi Padovese, the president of the Bishops’ Conference of Turkey, invited Christians to make a pilgrimage to Tarsus, the birthplace of St. Paul, as part of their celebrations for the Pauline year in 2008.
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Published May 24, 2012 at 8:46 pm - 88 Comments
Joanne commented:
I wonder if he was killed because he was a Christian? I crack myself up, but I’m not laughing.
Muslims persecute Christians everywhere; Muslims and Christians cannot co-exist, just like Satan and Jesus Christ cannot, and considering Satan’s time is short, he is very busy.
bg commented:
++
my condolences to his family & parishioners..
R.I.P. Bishop Luigi Padovese ..
fact is, it’s nothing new in the Cowardly Islamist world we live in..
and thanks to president Hussein, expect these occurrences to not only escalate, but they will be coming to a theater near you sooner than you think..
“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” ~ B Hussein O
==
PB-in-AL commented:
I pray that he was received with joy and is now at peace.
———-
“…by a boy “angered over the caricatures of the Muslim prophet in Danish newspapers.””
The fact that that even passes as an excuse for murder is simply pitiful.
Militant Conservative commented:
Joanne, very very short. prepair for a rough ride.
powder is dry.
olm commented:
Absolutely, bg.
I really think, and have repeated to family, neighbors and friends, the ME stories are the most important of the latest avalanche of news.
The Islamists are emboldened by our president in diapers and are on a roll. This not only about Isreal. This is about anyone who is not Muslim. Including the ignorant left in this country.
Patman commented:
this will now become acceptable. it starts with just one, then spreads like cancer.
the media will say he had it coming, like how a rape victim was asking to be raped because her dress was short and she was moving her hips while dancing…
LimoLibsStink commented:
0bama:
What is wrong?
When I was a young man I traveled to Pakistan and studied how to hate the White Catholics. I proudly stuck my butt in the air and learned how to hate Catholic America… well hate America in general. The American Military is always mucking-up good Muslim countries.
Then I met Louis Eugene Walcott Fericon. I learned how to hate and cheat Americans all in one stroke. Just ask Barney Frank. He BF me and the deal was sealed.
Not to avoid unpleasant questions but, I have asked Eric Holder to look into the
Blagojevich case and make recommendation how we can free this good man.
My limousine is running and I have a meeting with Fericon and Holder. I am sure something can be worked out – if you catch my drift. I cannot answer anymore questions until Rod “Bag Man” Blagojevich is off the hook – or dies a mysterious death… America and its police suck. Good day.
bg commented:
++
just wait until the Cordoba Mosque is
built on NYC hallowed ground.. *sigh*
the Marxist (by any other name) cohorts, namely tha Islamists are here, they are entrenched in our governmental institutions, our educational institutions, our judicial institutions, and our media/press et al.. not to mention in jihad training camps nationwide or Islamic Schools & mosques..
we may not have a leader, but the Islamists most certainly do.. as to whether or not Obama is Muslim is totally irrelevant at his stage of the game.. as he is blatantly (aka: in plain sight, right under our noses) aiding & abetting Islamists.. they are laughing at US, fools that we be, and i dare say deservedly so since we’re not only allowing Obama to destroy our country, but the Marxists assisting him retain power..
all i have to say is.. it had better be a
hell of a November, or we’ll be in it..
==
down with dems commented:
So is this a man-caused disaster too?
Does this event bother you? It’s one more small step toward the Islamicization of the entire world. You’re seeing the future… can’t say you didn’t see it coming, once you’re hauled into a Sharia court, or under a burqa, or blown to bits, or decapitated.
CLN commented:
Catholics should not be on muslim land (sarc) and they have the nerve co come here ad demand that we accept them.
This country will die of tolerance
down with dems commented:
CLN #11
That’s EXACTLY what they believe. Christians have no business in their country and must be killed, but the West must accept the influx of Muslims and accommodate them because the ultimate goal is complete Islamic takeover of the entire world, Islamic law in every country. Of course they think they should be able to come here and be accommodated and protected, they are the chosen ones. Every mosque that goes up, every South Park episode that gets censored, every cartoonist that gets threatened… one step closer to Islamic rule.
Convert or die, there is no other way.
jomojava commented:
Waiting for the idiotic instructions that we should not jump to conclusions.
Andreas K. commented:
There won’t be any outrage. You know why?
First of all, he was an infidel pig. Secondly, he was a Catholic. Thirdly, he was a catholic priest, thus the left sees him as a child rapist anyway.
Knowing the left wing they might actually celebrate this cowardly murder.
Andreas K. commented:
Joanne
June 3rd, 2010 | 9:02 am | #1
I wonder if he was killed because he was a Christian?
That’s exactly the reason.
Same is happening in Egypt, Iraq, and in every place where the death cult of Mohammed spreads.
Jayne on the left coast commented:
The aftermath of the rampaging, burning cars and homes and killing by the Christians…. oh never mind.
Opus #6 commented:
Over half, about 400 of the Terror Flotilla people were from Turkey. I’m seeing a pattern here.
Edouard commented:
Catholicon I hope you’re being facetious. I don’t know how you or any sane person could laugh at this.
Gail F commented:
He was stabbed by his driver who worked for him for four years but was mentally ill. According to CNS, he was driving (ironic, eh?) the driver to his doctor when the man lost it and attacked him.
We are all suspicious of Islam these days but please, wait for the facts.
Andreas K. commented:
Mentally ill.
Some Albanian nutjob shot a Belgian judge and a civil servant in Brussels earlier today. He was also “mentally ill.”
This mental illness has a name: islam
olm commented:
Yeah, was the mentally ill driver Catholic?
olm commented:
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/06/03/catholic-bishop-reportedly-stabbed-death-southern-turkey/
No religion given for the mentally unstable driver but the article does detail the deadly nature of being a Christian in Turkey.
bitterclinger commented:
“The tragedy of this event shows the difficulty that the Christian community endures in the Middle East region.”
Understatement of the year.
gus commented:
Obviously this is another KKK or TEA BAGGER CRIME.
Islam the Religion of peace.
wanumba commented:
Breaking news:
Egyptians open Egypt/Gaza border to allow Gazans “relief”.
What did the Egyptians get for this humanitarian act?
Egypt border security soldier shot and killed by Palestinians.
http://article.wn.com/view/2010/06/03/EGYPTOPT_Gazans_take_advantage_of_open_Egypt_border/
Opaobie commented:
The obvious connection will be that he, like the nutjob cab driver in England who went on a killing spree, were both DRIVERS…Holder will be right on it, so cabbies and Chauffeurs (unless you are illegal aliens or Muslims), get ready for some “profiling”.
TalkinKamel commented:
Yes, I know, Wanumba!
The Palestinians are just so filled with love, and gratitude, for those who help them! /Sarc.
However, for some weird reason, they garner more sympathy than, say, persecuted Christians, blacks in Darfur, Tibetans or anybody else on the planet!
They are, indeed, the uber-victims!
Opaobie commented:
…a lot of good it did the Vatican to join with the jackels in condemning Israel for simply defending themselves. Appeasement buys you NOTHING with Muslim terrorists.
Darwin Akbar commented:
I am surprised that “Turkish anger over Israel’s cruelty against Turks and Palestinians” has not been brought up just yet…but it’s early.
TalkinKamel commented:
yeah, the Vatican sure gained a lot by that appeasement, didn’t it?
bg commented:
++
down with dems @ 9:51 am #12
Accommodation as an Islamist Political Instrument
[Political Islam’s ideological battle fronts are many. They can include the obvious like the liberation of Iraq or the rampant domestic and foreign policy speeches given under the guise of Friday sermons in mosques around America. However, an ideological front which is gaining traction among Islamists is that of religious accommodations (or demands) in our free society. Every week, it seems we are seeing new iterations of the same issue. Soon we must all ask -- at what point do Muslim requests for accommodations to religious practices and beliefs cross the line of the fundamental basis of American liberty and freedom?
[..]
This behavior and Islamist commentary which exploits personal practices of the Muslim faith in order to make public statements and impose the mandates of one’s personal faith upon general society is classical behavior for Islamists. We saw it with the flying imams and now we see it with demands for the accommodation of an entire school time schedule for Muslim prayer obligations.
[..]
There is no greater laboratory of religious liberty and freedom than in
the United States. Most of our parents escaped our motherlands in order
to practice our personal spirituality more freely here than in so-called Muslim lands. They did not come to exploit and impose. American freedoms and openness to accommodate will be exploited by Islamists seeking a Muslim body politic. This will all continue as long as other non-Islamist and anti-Islamist Muslims stay silent to the exploitation
of Islam for the Islamist political agenda.]
much more here..
==
bg commented:
++
Gail F @ 10:13 am #19
[He was assaulted on Thursday in his house in Iskenderun,
located in Hatay province, the Vatican said.]
as you can see, CNN’s report is quite contrary to yours..
you have something to back your “facts” up??
thanks..
==
Barack Obama commented:
the bishop acted stupidly
Ladue Pundit commented:
We are all suspicious of Islam these days but please, wait for the facts.
============
Ok. Let’s wait. How long?
Where will we get “the facts?”
Opaobie commented:
Keep it up, Turkey, and the Olympics may be held in Constantinople someday.
bg commented:
++
re: Gail F @ 10:13 am #19 @ bg #33
never mind..
olm @10:24 am #23
thanks for the link..
ps: Gail, as far as Isamists go, it changes nothing.. why do you think we sometimes “jump to conclusions” when it comes to Christians being murdered in an Islmaic country?? i’ll tell you why because 9 3/4 out of
10 times the conclusions are correct..
==
bg commented:
++
re: bg #37
btw, i don’t mind staying i smell a bit of a cover up.. i mean, the focus
of anger must be directed at Israel at all costs at this juncture..
==
Opaobie commented:
Maybe this is the “facts” we have been waiting for.
President of Turkish bishops’ conference stabbed to death
By Carol Glatz and Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The president of the Turkish bishops’ conference, Bishop Luigi Padovese, was stabbed to death June 3 at his home in Iskenderun, said the Vatican nuncio in Turkey.
Archbishop Antonio Lucibello confirmed the death of the 63-year-old bishop, reported Vatican Radio.
The bishop’s driver was arrested as the prime suspect in the murder and confessed, Vatican Radio said.
Deniz Kilicer, councilor at the Turkish embassy to the Holy See, told Catholic News Service that the embassy was told that Bishop Padovese had been killed by his driver and close friend, Murat Altun, a Christian.
Altun “was under psychiatric treatment for the past month and Msgr. Padovese was taking him to the hospital for his treatment” when he attacked the bishop, she said.
The attack occurred about 1:30 p.m., and the bishop was rushed to the hospital and died about an hour later, she said.
Citing the bishop’s longtime assistant, Sister Leonora, who said Murat had been showing signs of depression and confusion for several days, Vatican Radio said the murder did not appear to have a political or religious motive.
Kilicer, who knew Bishop Padovese, described him as “very charming, very intelligent. He was one of the best experts on St. Paul.”
“As an embassy, we are shocked,” she said. “We lost a friend of Turkey.”
Citing local Turkish media, Vatican Radio reported the driver had been in Bishop Padovese’s service the past five years and that the presumed killer’s motives were not political or religious but driven by mental illness.
Archbishop Lucibello told Vatican Radio that the incident “has left us thunderstruck.”
He said the bishop was extremely dedicated to establishing dialogue between West and East with annual symposia and other initiatives.
“He will be a great loss,” he said, adding that he hoped his death would not mark an end to the many interreligious and ecumenical projects he ran for years.
Bishop Padovese, the apostolic vicar of Anatolia, was scheduled to be in Cyprus June 4-6 with Pope Benedict XVI and was to receive from the pope the working document for the special Synod of Bishops on the Middle East. The bishop had been part of the synod’s planning council.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said, “What has happened is terrible and leaves us deeply upset and naturally in much pain.”
The murder occurred on the eve of Pope Benedict’s trip to Cyprus to offer encouragement to the Christian community in the Middle East, the spokesman said.
The bishop’s murder really drives home “how absolutely urgent and necessary the solidarity of the universal church and support for these Christian communities are,” he said.
Bishop Padovese was a man of the Gospel giving witness to the life of the church in sometimes difficult situations, said Father Lombardi.
He said the bishop’s courage reminds people of the murder of Father Andrea Santoro, who was murdered in Turkey in 2006 by a young man suffering from psychological disturbances.
“We pray that the Lord will reward (Bishop Padovese) for his great service to the church, that Christians would not be discouraged and that, following his strong witness, they will continue to profess their faith in the region,” the spokesman said.
Bishop Padovese was also president of Caritas Turkey. The president of Caritas Internationalis, Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa said, Bishop Padovese “was a gentle, dedicated and courageous leader and pastor.”
“The violence of his death is shocking. The whole Caritas family unites in prayer for the family and friends of Msgr. Padovese,” said Cardinal Rodriguez.
Born in Milan, the bishop joined the Capuchins and was ordained to the priesthood in 1973. He was named a bishop and apostolic vicar of Anatolia in 2004.
END
Ladue Pundit commented:
Remember, the U.S. government’s official position on Major Nidal Hassan, the Fort Hood mass murderer, is still “he just snapped.”
=====
Gail F
June 3rd, 2010 | 10:13 am | #19
We are all suspicious of Islam these days but please, wait for the facts.
=====
Gail, have you drawn any conclusions about the Fort Hood massacre? I hear Hassan is pleading innocent. Do you have enough facts?
Opaobie commented:
Friendly fire on Gail F. won’t enhance a cooperative atmosphere, and it might have a chilling effect on others who might have something to contribute but don’t have a link to the source and five eyewitnesses to validate it. We’re all angry and frustrated at the double standard applied to Muslims, but we shouldn’t take it out on each other. Save it for the Trolls.
TrickyDick commented:
A victim of the “Religion of Peace”, no doubt!
Marsh commented:
The idea everyone keeps pushing that turkey is so moderate, tolerant, progressive and friendly is a complete joke. That country is overflowing with islamists. And never forget that turkey is occupied Christian European land who also occupies Cyprus as well. They should be kicked out of NATO and permanently denied EU membership immediately.
bg commented:
++
Opaobie @ 11:27 am #39
[Citing the bishop’s longtime assistant, Sister Leonora, who said Murat had been showing signs of depression and confusion for several days, Vatican Radio said the murder did not appear to have a political or religious motive.]
thanks..
however, i still have the feeling this isn’t all there was to it, that’s not to say it was any of the “conclusions i may have jumped” too.. oh well, only time will tell..
==
bg commented:
==
typo correction re: bg #44
too = to
let me just say pardon all typo’s from here
on in unless they change the context..
==
Kevin P commented:
Possibly a Mohamedan attacker????????
Kevin P commented:
Opaobie #39 – thanks for the facts! Sorry I jumped to conclusion.
Opaobie commented:
I jumped, too. We have been conditioned to it, but we still need to hold fire until we see the color of their turban.
bg commented:
++
Opaobie @ 11:42 am #41
what are you preaching about??
what “friendly fire”??
you mean the kind you just shot off??
i know i did not “fire” at Gail..
man, sometimes i’d like to tell you off, but i bite my tongue due to possible misinterpretation, and always give the benefit of the doubt to the poster, unless what they post is obviously meant to cause discourse for whatever reason, ie: a troll trolling for attention.. besides, i get more than enough “lecturing” from Obama..
ehat gammar nazis too..
==
Increase Mather commented:
While I am no expert on religions…it is increasingly hard to believe that followers of Islam actually see their ideology as a religion.
As I understand his history…Mohammad was a murderous pedophile whose armies conquered and enslaved in the name of their idea of a god.
This religion has spawned a seriously backward culture…one in which women are enslaved.
Hard to believe this could be going on at the beginning of the 21st century.
Red commented:
No real loss. Good riddance.
Claudia commented:
I’m still suspicious. “Murat” is a muslim name, if he was a convert, he was probabaly under intense pressure from his familiy and muslim friends.
Maybe that’s why he lost it.
Sojourner commented:
..’In 2006, amid widespread anger in Islamic countries over the publication in European newspapers of caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, a 16-year-old boy shot dead a Catholic priest, Father Andrea Santoro, as he prayed in his church in the Black Sea city of Trabzon.
A witness heard the alleged murderer shout “Allah Akbar:”
http://michellemalkin.com/2006/02/07/the-murder-of-father-santoro/
… File photo: Catholic priest Luigi Padovese, left, walks in front of the coffin of his slain fellow clergyman Andrea Santoro before a memorial service in the Black Sea city of Trabzon, Turkey:
http://www.chron.com/photos/2006/02/06/21909675/260xStory.jpg
In telephone interview with The Associated Press, following another knife attack that injured another priest, Padovese expressed concern over the safety of Catholics priests in Turkey.
“The climate has changed,” he said. “It is the Catholic priests that are being targeted.”
http://www.foxtoledo.com/dpps/news/international/roman-catholic-bishop-stabbed-to-death-in-turkey-jgr_3396986
+++++Rest in Peace, Fr. Padovese.+++++
donh commented:
If the Pope apologizes to Turkey , I will never set foot in another Catholic Church. Brother Luigi should be on a fast track review for Sainthood…. http://www.dl.ket.org/webmuseum/wm/paint/auth/mantegna/st-sebastian.jpg
donh commented:
Murat translated into English means “happy ending”…. http://smarthistory.us/site/wp-content/images/marat-death.jpg
Claudia commented:
Murat Altun never converted to christianity:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=urgent-2010-06-04
According to german press he shoutet “Allah Akbar”, while slaughtering his employer like a goat.
http://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article7909574/Der-erschuetternde-Tod-des-Bischofs-Luigi-Padovese.html
bg commented:
++
Roman Catholic bishop’s driver charged with murder
["The murder is not politically motivated," Onal told the state-run Anatolia news agency. "My client is suffering from mental problems. He confessed to all the details of the killing."
[..]
“In his statement, at one point he said he killed him after receiving a message from God,” Onal said. “He can’t explain why he committed the murder. In fact, he is giving conflicting accounts.”
ad_icon
Onal rejected allegations that Altun, a
Muslim, had converted to Christianity.
[..]
Sister de Stefano said Padovese had asked her “to cancel Murat’s ticket for Cyprus as well for himself because he hadn’t been feeling well,” the Italian agency ANSA has reported.]
still a bit muddled imho, ergo, who knows..
==
bg commented:
++
Opaobie
where’d you go??
i miss your posts..
==