Man shot dead during a church service in Colombia
The assailant was an unidentified woman, who started shooting at members of the congregation just when they were getting ready to pray the rosary before Mass.
The service at Saint John Paul II Church in the southern town of Cali was live-streamed, with approximately 200 Christians inside. According to Father Oscar de la Vega, typically, 1500 people take part in the liturgy, thanks to the live streaming service. The assailant had been sitting on a pew at the back of the church before shooting at the members. She escaped on a motorbike with a man who was waiting outside.
The footage showed that a nun had given an introductory address at the altar when the shooting started. The nun threw herself on the floor whilst other people were crying and shouting. 50-year-old Erasmo Trujillo was shot dead, and another woman suffered a leg injury.
Father de la Vega referred to Mr Trujillo as an active church member who attended weekly Mass with his wife, children, and grandchildren. Father de la Vega also expressed his disappointment towards the police, who had previously arrested the victim for allegedly taking part in trafficking and conspiracy to commit a crime: “It was apparently a situation that happened years ago, but he had never been convicted of any crime. They stigmatized him without giving more information on the subject, thus reducing the impact of the crime.”
The church helped Mr Trujillo’s family deal with the loss, the unfair accusations and “stigmatization suffered by the victim… A church is a place of reconciliation and reconstruction. Something like that can never happen inside of a church”, stated Father de la Vega. He also condemned anti-Christian violence: “That was an aggression not only on the victims but also on religious freedom and the church’s sacredness. As members of civil society, we must protect the public places, especially the religious ones. The concept of sanctuary, of special protection against any power in society conferred upon a person inside a church, is very ancient. It’s remarkably serious to attack such a concept.”
The church has been closed since the incident. A Mass of reparation is held this weekend.
Source: https://premierchristian.news/
