Killing of Irish priest punishes Kenyan people, says cardinal

Nairobi (ENInews). Cardinal John Njue has expressed anger at the murder of an Irish priest, who was killed on 10 December in the Kericho district of Kenya, after working in the country for 41 years.

The priest killed was the Rev. Jeremiah Roche, a 68-year-old missionary from the St Patrick's Missionary Society, also known as the Kiltegan Fathers.

A funeral service for the slain priest, who also has relations in Chicago, was held in his home town of Athea in county Limerick, south-western Ireland, on 17 December. The priest had planned to retire to Ireland in 2010.

The Kenyan cardinal told Ecumenical News International, "The killers have punished those who were benefiting from his sacrifices and all those who contributed to what he had, because it was meant to bring hope and better lives to those who are suffering."

Cardinal Njue spoke to ENI at Nairobi's Roman Catholic Holy Family Basilica.

Police said they had arrested three suspects.

Roche was murdered overnight on 10 December in the Rift Valley Province. Police said attackers entered his house in the Keongo Parish in Kericho district about 250 kilometres (150 miles) from Nairobi after cutting through the window grills. Worshippers had found his body after they went to check his house following his failure to arrive on time for a 6.00 a.m. Mass.

"The murder … is a signal of perversion in the people who do this kind of thing," said Njue.

Since the killing, Catholic bishops have reiterated their demands for improved security for all Kenyans while asking for appropriate action against the killing of the priest, which they described as very brutal.

The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation reported that the killers stripped the priest naked, tied his hands and slit his throat before smashing his head. His blood stained clothes were recovered a kilometre away from his residence.

"He was among the first white missionary priests to settle in the area. He came here after independence [in 1963]," said the Rev. Samuel Karanja, vicar general of the Kericho Catholic diocese. "I know a laptop computer and some money were stolen."

Father Roche had served as the Keonge parish priest for two years, after transferring from a nearby parish known as Chebang'ang. He believed to have been alone in his house when the killers struck.

Roche had initiated development projects through the support of his family members in both Ireland and in the United States.

The Catholic Primate of All Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, was quoted by the Irish Independent newspaper as saying, "Father Roche's death is a reminder to us of the great sacrifice of those who risk their lives answering God's call to bring the Good News to the poorest of the poor around the world. I pray especially for the safety of our religious and lay missionaries who work under the threat of violence in their communities."