AMERICA/GUATEMALA - American priest dead and Congolese priest severely wounded in an attack, other 3 companions left unharmed

Alta Verapaz (Agenzia Fides) – According to official sources, an American Catholic priest has died and another from the Congo has been left severely injured following an attack in the Laguna Lachua National Park (Alta Verapaz), a rural community in northern Guatemala. The event occurred on Monday night, on a rural highway that links the towns of Chisec with Ixcan, at about 500 kilometers to the north of the capital city. Two masked-men with rifles stopped the car, which contained five priests – all members of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate – who were on their way to a town named Laguna Lachua, where they were to have a retreat. After robbing them of all their belongings, the armed men shot the priests, leaving American priest Fr. Lorenzo Rosebaugh, age 74, dead on the spot and severely wounding Fr. Jean Claude Nowama, age 47, of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The other priests: Americans Ruben Elizondo and Erado Katustka (both 73 years old), and Canadian Rodrigo Marcoux (age 70), escaped the attack unharmed. According to Fr. Felix Garcia, member of the Congregation of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the men robbed, 1,000 quetzales (125 dollars), a cellular phone, and liturgical ornaments.
Fr. Rosebaugh had served as a parish pastor for over a decade in the community of Ixcan, a region to the north of the country, known for its high levels of criminality. According to official statistics, about 17 people die each day from violence in Guatemala. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 20/05/2009)