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Monday, September 06 2010 05:04 GMT+2
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Catholic bishop stabbed to death in southern Turkey

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Thursday, June 3, 2010
ANKARA/ISTANBUL — From wire dispatches
A file photo showing Luigi Padovese (L) in front of the coffin of his slain fellow clergyman Andrea Santoro before a memorial service in the Black Sea city of Trabzon, Turkey. AP photo

A file photo showing Luigi Padovese (L) in front of the coffin of his slain fellow clergyman Andrea Santoro before a memorial service in the Black Sea city of Trabzon, Turkey. AP photo

A Roman Catholic bishop has been stabbed to death, allegedly by his driver, in southern Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported Thursday.

Luigi Padovese, the pope’s apostolic vicar in Anatolia, was reportedly attacked by his driver in his home in the Mediterranean port of İskenderun. Hatay Gov. Mehmet Celalettin Lekesiz said the alleged killer was found carrying the murder weapon.

According to Lekesiz, the suspect, who had been working for the bishop for almost five years, was taken into custody immediately after they received the news about the murder. He said Padovese was well known in the region and everyone was sorry for the loss.

Initial investigations have eliminated the possibility of a political dimension to the crime, the governor said, adding that the suspect had been receiving treatment for psychological disorders. Although the investigations are ongoing, Lekesiz said, “The murder of Padovese seems to have been for personal reasons.”

In 2007, a Roman Catholic priest in the western city of İzmir, Adriano Franchini, was stabbed and slightly wounded in the stomach by a 19-year-old after Sunday Mass. The young man was arrested.

The same year, a group of men entered a Bible-publishing house in the central Anatolian city of Malatya and killed three Christians, including a German national.

The five alleged killers are now standing trial for murder.

In 2006, amid widespread anger in Islamic countries over the publication in European newspapers of caricatures of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, a 16-year-old boy shot dead a Catholic priest, Father Andrea Santoro, as he prayed in his church in the Black Sea city of Trabzon. The boy was convicted of murder and sentenced to 18 years in prison.

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Compiled from Anatolia news agency and AP reports by the Daily News staff.


 

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READER COMMENTS

Guest - guest
2010-06-04 21:24:51
  Fatih, we're not going to butt heads again are we?:) My point was that the incident had also sharpened 'anti-western' feeling. I'm white with fair hair! Therefore I could be a dirty American conspirator, zionist, et al. I know you'd probably like to believe I'm jewish because I question certain assumptions on these pages but I'm not:)
  

Guest - hunni
2010-06-04 20:40:20
  Sylvia you need medical help fast! or are you in the age when you start to get hot and sweatty? The mad man who killed the poor bishop was crazy and in every country there are a few crazys and most people are normal. Turkish people are discusted by this murder.Perhaps you can got to the peace loving israelis if you dont lie turkey!
  

Guest - Fatih@UK
2010-06-04 18:12:14
  guest stop the goof stirring. how did this youngish man knew you were Israeli?
  

Guest - Ergun Kirkosalami
2010-06-04 15:10:40
  If I were a Christian or a Jew, I would leave Turkey now.
  

Guest - SHAME
2010-06-04 12:38:35
  It is a shame to Turkey!!! you want your religiuos freedom in europe but what you are doing at home? I love Turkey, I was here dozen of times but I am deeply dissapointed what is happening in Turkey...
  

Guest - Green and super smart
2010-06-04 10:48:04
  A very tragic event. But lets wait and see. It could be a "regular murder" for money etc, or it could be based on reliogion. If the horrible crime has a religious dimension, the PM has to make statements and condemnations similar to the speeches he has made the last days in the Israel/Gaza issue. Unfortunately it would not be the first time Christians have been targeted in Turkey due to their religion. But as usual, lets wait for the facts, and then make up our minds.
  

Guest - guest
2010-06-04 10:43:27
  Unfortunately I think tension is extremely high in Turkey at the moment and while most of it is directed at Isreal (which is logical in the circumstances) the incident seems to have sharpened underlying anti-western feeling. On the metro yesterday I looked up to see a youngish man glaring at me with savage intensity. He maintained eye contact and then started drumming his feet in a nervous/aggression fashion. I broke eye contact and glanced occasionally but he continued to glare at me and appeared to be seeking confrontation. In seven years in Turkey this is the first time this has happened (my street demeanour is not as provocative as some of my posts:) My final comment is that I hope wise and calm heads will prevail in this crisis and that Isreali is able to replace its belligerent right wing government asap.
  

Guest - EE
2010-06-04 05:48:58
  This shames all of us... It's sad at any ones account. It should not happen, it’s because some brained washed idiot thought it was right thing to do. World is full of them, this should be addressed and educated just like Ataturk did. Religion is the cancer of humans. We be better off without it at this stone age. Its there to control people, nothing else.
  

Guest - Dikran Terzian
2010-06-04 05:03:06
  Dear Greek, shame on you all the way from Australia...if you think with a record like mass murdering women & children in the Armenian Genocide is "cool" or some how makes Turkey a superior military country, you are certainly kidding your self and certainly trying to insite people in some way to a turkish/israeli war! Talking is one thing and going into a real war with "anybody" is a dangerous place to go, especially in the year 2010....this is not 1915!!!
  

Guest - Fatih
2010-06-04 00:28:37
  what do you mean regret? I might be writing in to one but no one here is "the" machie (yet), still flesh and blood, of course Im sorry for this poor man. Its the rhetoric you "westerners" use as your first sign of anger at Turks like "Forget the EU" as if its supposed to offend us or pull us back in line. "Mehmet cross out Stabbing Catholic Priest directive from the list, apparently thats a no no for joining EU" please...
  

Guest - Jim in California
2010-06-03 23:23:39
  From what I have read in non-Turkish sources, the alleged killer has been the bishop's driver and has a history of mental problems. No indication as to the religion of this driver.
  

Guest - Philip, London
2010-06-03 22:16:01
  Yet one more reason why Israel should not take lectures on human rights and peace activism from Turks. RIP Father.
  

Guest - Turiddu, Sicily
2010-06-03 22:07:01
  I'm obviously very saddened by the murder of Bishop and I know that this is not the first case of murder of a Catholic priest. But I find it very stupid to sow hatred, for mixing with each other facts that have nothing to do, for example, Turkey's accession to the European Union. In my opinion the only thing that a reasonable person must ask is that Judiciary finds the true reasons for the murder, the culprit has a fair trial in accordance with the laws of Turkey and the Turkish government will ensure not only a true freedom of worship but also the concrete protection of those who profess a faith other than Islam, Atheism obviously included. Request incite hatred or revenge serves only to make matters worse, I hope that all people of good will understand this and work together so that all men beings live in peace wherever they live
  

Guest - Mikail
2010-06-03 22:05:57
  First, let me pay respect to the priest who passed away, the details are not clear yet but whatever the motives this must not become an excuse for making up a religious conflict. Now, as a side note, I am getting sick and tired of all the trigger-happy Turkey haters who start to summon EU non-entry for /every/ event that is reported in the news. Doesn't each country, inside the EU or not, have its psychopaths, its problems, its conflicts, its issues with its own history ? The real issues for Turkey's entry into the EU are law issues, reforms (and a good number of them) that a parliament can vote. Lots of paperwork. And rights. Subjective debates about whether or not an uneducated an uneducated French person knowing nothing about history thinks that Turkey belongs to Europe are, although very interesting, completely off-topic.
  

Guest - Fatih
2010-06-03 20:16:46
  Religious minorities are in danger in Turkey. Turkey is becoming like Pakistan
  

Guest - guest
2010-06-03 19:31:21
  So Brian, so you are satisfied that you are in full possession of the FACTS (your capitalization) after 'initial' investigations and a statement by the local governor?? Now you can categorically state it had NOTHING to do with politics although this country is in a state of high tension and the alleged perp had had psycholocial problems for years (according to the same source) but the murder occured now. I also see you that you have already conducted your own trial and passed sentence on the Israelis despite your previous pompous comment about saving judgement. A tad self righteous I might say. Btw, I'm guessing your countrymen won't suffer the same fate as the those already killed but if they launch into some armed men with iron bars I don't like their chances.
  

Guest - Sylvia
2010-06-03 19:22:48
  @Giuliano and guest, thanks for your comments. @Erden - yes- you are right- worse crimes happen and Germany committed the holocaust- I will not comment what you say about France and Cyprus(?)- I don t know enough about them. However, unless other countries- maybe you can guess who, Germany accepted and acknowledged his crimes and is paying for it since over sixty years. AND learned a painful lesson. This said, Erden and Fatish, I am also ready to excuse myself for blaming Turkey as a whole, on the wave of emotion and shock- but even you did not have one single word of regret and condemn of this crime, and for whatever reason this one has been committed- there have been recently too many crimes in Turkey against religeous people. @Brian- it seems to me that also you air your views everywhere regarding the Israel assault without having final facts on your hands- or not?
  

Guest - Fatih
2010-06-03 19:18:57
  BTW did anyone on Yahoo read that the driver who stabed the Vicar was also a catholic? Sylvia......shame on you still.
  

Guest - Murat
2010-06-03 19:11:54
  Why does a crazy man gets to walk around free? Luigi, rest in peace and hope the justice is done right.
  

Guest - Fatih
2010-06-03 18:59:46
  Shame on you Sylvia to blame entire Turks for this, I though you knew better. Shame, shame and again shame on you.
  

Guest - Brian
2010-06-03 18:47:11
  Thanks Enver, and there you go "guest". It seems the suspect was having psychological problems and this terrrible murder had absolutely NOTHING got to do with religion. Wait for the FACTS before preaching about a subject. Also, I have commented on the flotilla and I hope the Irish ship with my own citizens on board carrying humanitarian aid that arrives at the coast of Gaza tomorrow doesn't suffer the same fate as the other innocent humanitarian workers who were both murdered and than slandered by being wrongly called terrorists by the Israeli state.
  

Guest - sez
2010-06-03 18:38:48
  ...soory for the dead of bishop luigi, this is hurts a lot. i think we should be careful with our comments on who is the bad boy. what happened has nothing to do with relgion i think, i think it's just a stupid private matter which brought to the assassine of the bishop. really sorry for that. but we shoudln't blame turkey and turkish people for that. it would a terrible fact if this guy killed the bishop for religion reasons. being honest, it was just a stupid private matter...
  

Guest - Erden
2010-06-03 18:21:38
  @ Sylvia , There are far worse crimes that happen in Europe, how on earth can you judge a country from the action of 1 person? Germans comitted the holocaust but now they are in EU, France comitted genocide in Algeria they are in Europe, Cyprus comitted genocide against Turkish Cypriots they are in Europe, what is the point you are trying to make?
  

Guest - Sylvia
2010-06-03 18:21:37
  @Brian - this is not the first killing of religeous people that happened in Turkey in recent years- you remember the killing of three men in Malatya only because they worked for a Company printing Bibles? And that is by far not the only episode! What would you have to say if an Imam had been killed for example in Switzerland? Would you look for motives outside of religion or would you and many others shout loudly about Islamophobia?
  

Guest - giuliano
2010-06-03 18:20:16
  Dear motokosoma, what you are asking to Mr. Erdoğan is NOT possible. This country's motto is not "we are all the same", but "how happy is to say I'm Turkish" and "one country, one religion, one language". On Hürriyet's newspaper first page you still read "Turkey is for Turks", and war is over since 90 years! Plurality is NOT well accepted for a part of the population of Turkey and I can say, as a foreigner living here since 5 years, that you are safe and well treated here ONLY if you don't want to remark your non-Turkishness, ONLY if you don't criticize around, ONLY if your interests stay on rakı-balık-süperlig, let's say it, ONLY if you behave as a guest. Everything can be the cause of this murder so let's not address responsibilities before knowing, but please, tell me if you ever heard of a muslim imam killed in Italy, and there are thousands living and preaching FREELY, considering there's 1 million muslims in our country.
  

Guest - DA
2010-06-03 18:16:05
  Sylvia: So a whole people is to blame for a group that consist of less than 0,001% of the population? - Who should be ashamed? The whole population?.. Your stupidity is nothing uncommon.. And you can keep the EU for yourself,Turkey would be way better off without it - in my opinion..
  

Guest - Greek
2010-06-03 18:08:33
  We've heard all this before. He was killed by his own people in order to divert attention from the barbarity and audacity of those murdering, land grabbing israelis who live on handouts which come from the american tax payer. No more sympathy for your dead. Until you do not realize that life is precious for everyone, you will not hear any sorrow from here. Where were the comments regarding catholic priests molesting and raping kids? Now all of a sudden, you come out of the woodworks to attack Turkey. You are fooling no one, as the one who thinks he is fooling everyone is the biggest fool himself. I dare you, double dare you to attack Turkey. These Turks are cool, but, don't think you can push them around like you have done with the arabs. Push a Turk by all means. But do write your Will before that.
  

Guest - Feridun Ergin Huseyin
2010-06-03 18:00:03
  The images of these turkish actavist recently shown all over the world is a bad image for turkey, are they turks or talibans and now a poor priest killed by some uneducated turk falls into the hands of the world media. What next, very sad week for turkey.
  

Guest - Enver
2010-06-03 17:46:56
  Precisely my sentiments Brian. So far, I have found all your previous comments right on the money as well. Having said that, no matter the motive, I am deeply sorry for the murder of Bishop Padovese.
  

Guest - Mario milano
2010-06-03 17:33:24
  Last year I went to Turkey for a long visit, from Wich I got a very very favourable impression: a beautyful country inhabited by many beautyful people. But to be realistic this kind of events do happen. Without any hypocrisy I think. In Turkey this does not pertain to any majority and not even to a large minority, but,, let us say, is yet too-frequent.
  

Guest - guest
2010-06-03 17:29:37
  Re Brian's comment 'Ranting on about something before you know the facts does not help'. I take it then that you haven't commented on the flotilla raid and that you would regard all the moralizing commentary on that issue, not to mention the incitement and hatred as pre-emptive?? I sincerely hope it is not connected but if it is then I hope Tayip, M.Akyol etc take heed of the fruits of their incitement.
  

Guest - Just somebody
2010-06-03 17:10:43
  Our government seems to put all it's efforts in abroad issue's. Typically a way to get dirt in our eyes, instead of being worried about solving internal affairs. When will this government get worried about religious killings and put energy in solving. Why GAZA is so important for you Mr Erdogan, just to get your seat next year again. No way we are free, it is just waiting till we become equal to Iran. All people of Turkey wake up, this government is no good. It needs to stop this nonsense and protect it's people.
  

Guest - BenTurkdegilim
2010-06-03 17:08:25
  There you go. It is so easy to put obstacles on the ascension process to the EU. All you need to do is to find an appropriate target. I wonder who is behind this homicide? In whose interests would it be to kill a catholic vicar? The uninformed public opinion will react suddenly and strongly without even asking questions. This here is not about Turkish security, but but about harming the reputation of a country. As a catholic I am deeply sorry about the loss of Padre Luigi but I will not fall in the trap and blame Turkey for it.
  

Guest - Brian
2010-06-03 17:07:13
  Why are people making these comments without knowing the facts of the case?. There is no evidence that this murder was motivated by religion. The fact that it may have been carried out by someone personally known to him could mean that there is a different motive for the killing. Sylvia and MCB should reserve judgement until the facts are established. Ranting on about something before you know the facts does not help.
  

Guest - MCB
2010-06-03 17:00:15
  The culling of Christians in Turkey continues. Regardless of whether it is a result of religious extremism or extreme nationalism, the fact remains, life in Turkey is cheap, particularly if you are a non ethnic muslim Turk. With this mentality Turkey will continue to be viewed as largely an uncivilised middle-eastern country by the Western world. Nothing changes, sadly.
  

Guest - Fatih
2010-06-03 16:36:03
  Dark days are still to come for Turkey.
  

Guest - Zafer
2010-06-03 16:27:10
  Instead of puting our enegy in our security, we spend our energies in Gaza ... what a logic?
  

Guest - motokosoma
2010-06-03 16:26:30
  Horrible. Even if %99.999 of Turks condemn these types murder, there will always be some extremist who thinks the"gavur" (non-Muslim) are responsible for every evil in the world. The Turkish government and media should immediately condemn this murder with the strongest possible words. Erdogan pushed Turks into this Middle East conflict, it is time he takes full responsibility in publicly admonishing his fringe extremist Islamist citizens. Even better, Erdogan should publicly announce all Turkish Citizens, REGARDLESS OF RELIGION, are equally Turkish. But, does Erdogan sincerely believe this? We will see.
  

Guest - italian friend of Luigi
2010-06-03 16:19:15
  Luigi, R.i.p.
  

Guest - Sylvia
2010-06-03 16:08:48
  You want to enter EU??? Forget all about it- you are not worth it!!! Go to Pakistan, to Iran, to Somalia - there a human life does not count anything - with them you can shout for war actions for provocations orgnized by yourself - THAT is your world- not the Eu! I am really sickened of these recurrent happenings- but style yourself as people which are warm-hearted and welcoming to foreigners- yes with dollar and EU signs in your eyes! Shame, shame and again shame on you.
  

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