PERU – The murdered body of Father Carlos Riudavets Montes, who served the Yamakai-Entsa indigenous group in the Amazonian jungle, was found in the school kitchen last week. His hands were tied and he suffered several stab wounds.
The school’s cook, Gumercinda Diure, discovered the priest’s body. It did not appear that Father Riudavets’ murder was connected to a burglary because nothing was stolen.
“We express dismay and sorrow at the death of Father Carlos Riudavets,” said the official Jesuit province of Peru statement.
“We want to express how proud we are of the work and the mission of Father Carlos,” Father Victor Hugo Miranda, the spokesperson for the Peruvian Jesuit province said in an interview the Vatican News. “When he was ordained a priest, he was sent to the forest to work with indigenous people. He’d been working there since then, almost forty years. He was a teacher and the principal of the school. He was very close to the people.”
Father Riudavets was born in Sanlúcar de Guadiana (Huelva), Spain. He first came to Peru before he became a priest. Later, he studied theology in Lima, and spent time teaching in Piura. The Jesuit priest was sent to Vicariate San Francisco Javier del Alto Maranon in 1980 after his ordination.
“Father Riudavets leaves behind a legacy of commitment, responsibility and love for the indigenous people”, the Pan-Amazon Ecclesial Network said.
The investigators revealed that a student who had been recently expelled had threatened Father Riudavets. The investigation is on-going.
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