PIME thanks Philippines for efforts to find killers of Italian priest

MANILA, Philippines—The congregation of slain Catholic priest Fr. Fausto Tentorio thanked the Philippine government in its efforts to capture the killers of the Italian cleric, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Philippine Embassy officials in Rome spoke with Fr. Mark Tardiff, assistant superior general of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions or PIME in Rome, to express condolences and inform the congregation of Manila’s actions to bring those responsible to justice, the DFA said in a statement.

A man shot Tentorio early Monday within the church compound in North Cotabato province’s Arakan town and fled on a motorcycle driven by an accomplice.

The 59-year-old priest, a native of Santa Maria Hoe town in Italy’s Lecco province, had been in the Philippines for the past 32 years. He was the third missionary from PIME killed in the Philippines.

The Philippines has created the Special Investigation Task Group to investigate the killing as President Benigno Aquino vowed Tuesday that those responsible would be brought to justice.

Tardiff thanked the Philippine government for its efforts to investigate Tentorio’s killing and is hopeful that those responsible would soon be apprehended.  With The Associated Press