Catholic World News News Feature
Emotional tribute to slain priest at papal audience February 08, 2006
Pope Benedict XVI drew an emotional reaction from the crowd at his regular weekly audience on February 8 when he mentioned the Italian priest who was killed in Turkey three days earlier.
"We cannot fail to remember Father Andrea Santoro today," the Pope said. The crowd of 8,000 people rose for a lengthy ovation in tribute to the slain missionary.
As the applause ebbed, the Pope continued with a prayer for the repose of Father Santoro's soul, adding a petition that "the sacrifice of his life may contribute to dialoue between religious and peace among peoples."
The Holy Father disclosed that he had received a letter from Father Santoro recently, in which the priest offered "a moving testimony to his love and adherence to Christ and his Church." In the letter, dated January 31, Father Santoro offered "a mirror of his priestly soul," the Pope said. He indicated that the letter will soon be published in L'Osservatore Romano.
Pope Benedict added that he had read another letter, from a member of the tiny Catholic community in Trabzon, Turkey, where Father Santoro served. It, too, offered a powerful indication of "devotion and love for Christ," he said. The parishioner's letter asked the Pope to visit the Black Sea port town during his trip to Turkey in November of this year.
The body of Father Santoro, who was a priest of the Rome diocese, was returned to Rome on February 7. His funeral will be in the basilica of St. John Latern on February 10.
Although a 16-year-old Turkish boy has confessed to the killing, saying that he was prompted by rage over the cartoons in European newspapers mocking Mohammed, some Christians in Turkey harbor lingering doubts about the crime, Bishop Luigi Padovese of Anatolia told journalists. The bishop explained that Christians in the region, live amid hostility in an overwhelmingly Muslim community. Some Christians question whether the killing was an isolated act, or part of an orchestrated anti-Christian campaign.
Father Santoro had served for 5 years in Trabzon, where about a dozen Catholic regularly attended Mass in St. Mary's parish. Some Orthodox believers also use the church.
