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Tunisia: Polish priest murdered by dishonest worker

CWN - February 23, 2011

Father Marek Rybinski, the 34-year-old Polish Salesian who was murdered in Tunisia on February 18, was slain by a dishonest worker at the missionary house, according to the local bishop.

“According to official investigations, this person, who was a jack-of-all-trades at the missionary house, was given 2,000 dinars [$1,397] three months ago by Father Rybinski to buy materials to do maintenance work at the school,” said Archbishop Maroun Elias Nimeh Lahham of Tunis. The worker, Chokri Ben Mustapha Bel-Sadek El-Mestiri, “had spent the money, how we don't know. Father Rybinski, seeing that the materials hadn't been purchased, began asking for the money to be returned. Finally, he panicked and killed the missionary.”

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  • Posted by: rpp - Feb. 24, 2011 12:45 AM ET USA

    Surely his murder did not have anything to do with the widespread unrest in that country. No, of course not. I mean, why would a Muslim mob have any interest in harming a Catholic priest? And, of course, no Muslim law enforcement official would ever mislead people into thinking that Muslims did not harm a Catholic priest. No, of course not. After all, only non-Muslims, and, oh yeah, women, commit crimes in Muslim countries.

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