Matt C. Abbott
Another murdered priest
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By Matt C. Abbott
June 16, 2014

Sixteen years after the still-unsolved murder of Father Alfred Kunz of the Diocese of Madison, Wis., another priest who celebrated the Traditional Latin Mass, Father Kenneth Walker of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP), was murdered just a few days ago in Phoenix, Ariz.

While I sincerely doubt there's any connection between the two murders, it nonetheless is quite unsettling, particularly given that Christians in general have been facing increasing hostility and persecution.

From The Associated Press:
    Police said the investigation into a deadly priest shooting at a Roman Catholic church in Phoenix has been stymied by a lack of usable surveillance video and a vague account of the attack by a second severely injured clergyman....

    The investigation is playing out as parishioners are mourning the loss of the Rev. Kenneth Walker, 28, and praying for the recovery of the Rev. Joseph Terra, 56, who was so badly beaten in the Wednesday night attack in the rectory of their church that police were worried he wouldn't survive the night....

    Investigators have been able to rule out several theories, including speculation of a dispute between the priests....
Click here to read the statement by the superior general of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter.

Click here to see a homily given by the late Father Walker.

Requiem Aeternam dona ei, Domine. Et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace.

Let's hope that Father Walker's killer(s), and Father Terra's attacker(s), will be brought to justice sooner rather than later. In this case, there's speculation that robbery was the motive, although at this point, it's just that – speculation.

In the Father Kunz case, robbery was almost certainly not the motive. In fact, the prime person of interest, who's never been arrested due to an apparent lack of evidence, was well known to Father Kunz and was (perhaps still is) a practicing Catholic.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

Update as of June 16:

An arrest has been made in the Father Walker homicide; click here for the (still-developing) story.

© Matt C. Abbott

 

The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
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Matt C. Abbott

Matt C. Abbott is a Catholic commentator with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication, media, and theatre from Northeastern Illinois University. He also has an Associate in Applied Science degree in business management from Triton College. Abbott has been interviewed on HLN, MSNBC, Bill Martinez Live, WOSU Radio in Ohio, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's 2019 ‘Unsolved’ podcast about the unsolved murder of Father Alfred Kunz, Alex Shuman's 'Smoke Screen: Fake Priest' podcast, WLS-TV (ABC) in Chicago, WMTV (NBC) and WISC-TV (CBS) in Madison, Wisconsin. He’s been quoted in The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and other media outlets. He’s mentioned in the 2020 Report on the Holy See's Institutional Knowledge and Decision-Making Related to Former Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick (1930 to 2017), which can be found on the Vatican's website. He can be reached at mattcabbott@gmail.com.

(Note: I welcome and appreciate thoughtful feedback. Insults will be ignored. Only in very select cases will I honor a request to have a telephone conversation about a topic in my column. Email is much preferred. God bless you and please keep me in your prayers!)

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