Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Manaus (Agenzia Fides) – Fr. Ruggero Ruvoletto, 52-year-old Italian Donum Fidei missionary, was killed around 7am (local time) on Saturday, September 19, in his parish of “Sagrado Corazon de Maria,” in the Santa Etelvina neighborhood, on the outskirts of Manaus (Brazil). According to information sent from the Diocese of Padua, where Fr. Ruggero was originally from, the deacon of the parish heard gunshots and hurried in to find the lifeless body of Fr. Ruggero kneeling next to his bed, with his head down, having been struck in the head with a bullet. According to local testimonies, it seems that some 50 Real (nearly 19 Euros), leaving behind more money in the room.
Fr. Ruggero Rivoletto was born in Galta di Vigonovo on March 23, 1957, in the Province of Venice, Diocese of Padua. He was ordained a priest in 1982 by Bishop Filippo Franceschi, for whom he served as secretary his entire Episcopate (1982-1988). After studying ecclesiology in Rome, he returned to the Diocese in August 1994, where he worked for almost a year on Pastoral and Social Work, later being appointed Director of the Diocesan Missionary Center, a ministry that he carried out from 1995-2003. On July 6, 2003 he left for Brazil as a Fidei Donum missionary, in the Diocese of Itaguai in Mangaratiba. The following year, he participated in a missionary project on the outskirts of Manaus, promoted by the local dioceses. It is an area on the border between the city and the forest, where crime is particularly intense. Fr. Ruggero himself recently participated in a demonstration to call for greater security. The missionary lived with a deacon, a priest, and a small community of sisters.
“He was a good priest. Very beloved by the community,” Fr. Danival de Oliveira, of the Archdiocese of Manaus, told the press. As soon as the news got out, hundreds of people gathered at the parish, where they remained for a long while. Celebrations for his funeral and moments of prayer and reflection were held at both Manaus and in the Diocese of Padua, where the priest's body is expected to return. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 21/9/2009)
