Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Havana (Agenzia Fides) – A Spanish priest was found dead on Monday, July 13, in his parish of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rule (Nuestra Señora de la Regla) in Havana (Cuba). His name was Mariano Arroyo Merino, a native of Cabezon de la Sal (Santander, Spain). This is the second case of a Spanish priest being killed this year in Cuba. The first took place in February, when Fr. Eduardo de la Fuente Serrano (61 years old) was found stabbed and strangled in Havana. As of today, the result of the investigation has not yet been released. In the first case, the body was found on February 14, in the early morning hours, and was returned to Spain five days later, to the Madrid suburb where he had been born, Guadalix de la Sierra. The body of the first Spanish priest killed this year in Cuba was discovered on the outskirts of Havana and his car appeared burnt and in another location, at 20 kilometers from the capital (see Fides 16/2/2009 and 20/2/2009).
According to sources from the Archdiocese of Havana, the priest's body “was found by firemen at around 6:10am (local time), after the night watchman saw smoke rising from the parish.” It seems that the attackers stabbed Fr. Arroyo and later set fire to his body. According to preliminary reports, it seems the priest was murdered. A statement from the Archdiocese says: “the priest, who was murdered today, July 13, in the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rule, had served in Cuba for the past 12 years, in the Bay of Havana. He remained there until his death, carrying out an intense pastoral work, with a special charisma for the religious tradition of the local people...”
Bishop Vicente Jimenez of Santander (Spain), along with the entire Diocese, issued a statement expressing his “profound sorrow and firm protest for the assassination of the Cantabrian priest, Fr. Mariano Arroyo Merino, native of Cabezon de la Sal.” The Bishop added that “in these sorrowful moments, in faith we are united in human suffering, in prayer, and in Christian hope with his entire family, friends, and the Archdiocese of San Cristobal de La Habana, where this good priest exercised his ministry, dedicated to the service of the Gospel and the most needy and weak.” He added: “we ask God, the author of life, that he may grant eternal rest to this faithful servant of the Church and convert the hearts of those who have caused this sad death (which is seed of the Kingdom of God) from hearts of stone into hearts of flesh,” Bishop Jimenez said.
Fr. Mariano Arroyo was born on February 20, 1935, in Cabezon de la Sal, Cantabria. He was ordained a priest on April 17, 1960. Not long after, in 1962, he left as a missionary to Santiago de Chile, where he remained until 1968. From 1969 to 1979, he returned to work in Madrid (Spain), as parish priest and formator in the Seminary. In 1980, he returned to Chile and ministered in various parishes in the Diocese of Copiapo. He arrived in Havana on January 19, 1997. The following March, Cardinal Jaime Ortega appointed him Pastor of Our Lady of Pilar, in Havana, and in December 2004, he was appointed Rector and Pastor of the National Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Regla. During his stay in Havana, he had also worked with the Movement of Christian Workers and as Director of the “Padre Felix Varela” Institute for religious studies.
Fr. Arroyo had a Licentiate in Philosophy and Theology from the Pontifical University of Comillas, a Licentiate in Philosophy and Literature from the Complutense in Madrid and was member of the Hispano-American Priestly Co-operation (OCSHA). (RG) (Agenzia Fides 14/7/2009)
