Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Merida (Agenzia Fides) - Simone Montesso, age 23, from Bolzano, a volunteer from the Pope John XXIII Community founded by Fr. Oreste Benzi, along with Massimo Barbiero, age 37, of Padua, a lay missionary associated with the same community, disappeared on Tuesday, April 6. The two young men, always generously committed to helping the poorest of the poor, had traveled to the area near the town of Merida for a walk in the mountains. Despite the intervention of local police and civil protection, research to date has brought no results. The General Director of Pope John XXIII Community, John Paul Ramonda, in a statement told Fides: "Our Community of Pope John XXIII, along with the families of these young people, makes a desperate plea to Venezuelan and Italian authorities, asking that they make every effort as quickly as possible to find them, in the hope that they may be lost or injured and may be saved in time, without excluding possibilities of a kidnapping in an area bordering Colombia, where unfortunately these things happen often. For this reason we urge all bodies of communication - Venezuelan and Italian - to be interested in this matter, working so that these searches may be carried out as quickly as possible." For further information: Fr. Aldo Buonaiuto, 335.6596512 - General Secretary: Stefano Paradisi, 348.2488148, 0541.909600 , info@apg23.org. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 10/4/2010)
