Spanish cardinal missing in Panama

The Spanish cardinal José Luis Lacunza, 79 years old and bishop of the diocese of David, in the Panamanian province of Chiriquí, has been missing since last Tuesday and the authorities have begun an investigation, the Public Ministry reported this Thursday.

“The Chiriquí Regional Prosecutor's Office began an investigation on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, into the alleged disappearance of Cardinal José Luis Lacunza, once the news was received,” the authorities reported.

According to local media, Lacunza, a native of Pamplona, ​​left the Bishopric of David, the capital of Chiriquí, about 445 kilometers from the capital, last Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. local time, and since then his whereabouts have been unknown.

“We are all waiting, a lot of concern, as we already know, it has been more than two days since the monsignor left the house, apparently he did not take something with him for a trip, an outing, and well, that has caused a lot of concern.

The complaint has been filed, this investigation has been underway, but so far we know nothing,” declared the president of the Panamanian Episcopal Conference (CEP), Rafael Valdivieso.

The prelate reported that the priests of the diocese of David were the ones who filed the report of the cardinal's disappearance and are “bewildered” by the situation.

“There is no idea where or what would have happened (...) we are all waiting and, for the moment, asking the population for prayers so that we can have news and appear, and it is truly something that "It has hit us a lot, we feel great concern and uncertainty," Valdivieso added in statements to the Telemetro network.

Lacunza was born in Pamplona on February 24, 1944, although he has lived most of his life as a religious in Panama.

He was named cardinal on February 14, 2015 by Pope Francis.

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