(CNN Spanish) - The Catholic Church in El Salvador on Saturday expressed its "strong condemnation" of the murder of priest Ricardo Antonio Cortez, 45, which occurred on Friday.
In a statement, the Episcopal Conference demanded that the authorities "investigate the facts so that the truth is known and due justice is administered."
The church's pronouncement was read by the archbishop of San Salvador, José Luis Escobar Alas, during a mass mass present in the Nuestra Señora de los Pobres cathedral, in Zacatecoluca, department of La Paz, about 62 kilometers from the capital.
The body of the religious was found in Tecoluca, department of San Vicente, at kilometer 80 of the El Litoral highway, southeast of San Salvador.
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The authorities indicated that the body had bullet holes, and said they did not know the reasons for the crime, although the first indications would rule out the theft.
"His belongings were there," a member of the National Civil Police, who came to guard the scene, told reporters, while investigators collected evidence to locate the person responsible.
The victim was a priest of the San Francisco Chinameca parish, in the department of La Paz, and at the same time he was rector of the San Óscar Arnulfo Romero seminary
“Very sad not to be able to trust justice, not to feel safe, anything can happen at any time. It is important not to resign oneself to that, ”said the Cardinal of El Salvador, Monsignor Gregorio Rosa Chávez.
The ecclesial authorities emphasize that this is the third attack against members of the church in recent years. Priests Osmir Vásquez Jiménez and Cecilio Pérez were assassinated on March 29, 2018 and May 18, 2019, respectively.
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