Two Jesuits killed in Moscow.
This morning I received the tragic news of the murder of two Jesuits working in Russia, Father Otto Messmer and Father Victor Betancourt, who were both killed in their Moscow residence. So far, no information has been released about who killed the two priests and why. A Russian citizen of German ancestry, the 47-year-old Father Messmer was the superior of all Jesuits working in Russia. Father Betancourt, a 42-year-old from Ecuador, was teaching theology and serving as a vocation promoter at the time of his death. Your prayers for the two murdered Jesuits and for the Society of Jesus would be appreciated at this difficult time. Grant to your departed priests Otto and Victor, O Lord, blessed repose and eternal memory. AMDG.
posted by Joseph Koczera, S.J. @ 11:45 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
Very tragic. They will be in my prayers. One ought to invoke the prayers of Fr. Ciszek as well.
Certainly crime can't be ruled out in a big city like Moscow, but one might speculate on political-ideological motive given current tensions between Russia and the West.
I know Fr Otto Messmer, one of the two killed in Russia. We lived together as students at Bellarmino in Rome. He was a very humble and holy person. When I got the news this morning I was am shocked and could not believe that a wonderful and dedicate priest would meet such a violent death. Both of them are in my prayers. I trust God will bless them with the fullness of life. Stan SJ, Boston College
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