Migrant kills priest who took him in

A priest from an Italian city was found dead on the street after a Tunisian man stabbed him several times with a knife, causing his death. The priest had previously helped the migrant and put him up in the parish.

WORLD SEPTEMBER 16. 2020 13:41

Roberto Malgesini, a 51-year-old local priest, was found dead from knife wounds on Tuesday near his parish in the city of Como, Italy. He died after sustaining several knife wounds, including one to the neck.

The perpetrator, a 53-year-old man from Tunisia admitted to the stabbing and turned himself in to police shortly afterwards. The man was understood to suffer from a mental illness. Even more shockingly, he was known to Malgesini, and the priest even helped him.

Fr Roberto Malgesini was known for his devotion to homeless people and migrants. He was even fined by local police for feeding people living under the portico of a former church. He also helped his murderer, as he had let him sleep in a room for the homeless, maintained by the parish.

The murder of the priest clearly reflects the situation in Italy, which is also confirmed by the mayor of a town in southern Italy. Castel Volturno s mayor says the situation in the area has become unmanageable, with around 23 thousand migrants living in his town.

Luigi Petrella points out that a Nigerian national was recently killed, and another was attacked. Italians were also involved in the incident that could have been part of a battle to control criminal activities, often managed by Nigerians, according to sources.

The state should intervene because he can no longer solve the situation, the mayor says, adding that he is extremely concerned. The official population of Castel Volturno is 27 thousand residents, but the company in charge of cleaning the town has calculated on the basis of the garbage they collect that over 45 thousand people live in the town. 

This implies that at least 20 thousand people, mainly foreigners, are not on the radar, and rules cannot be enforced, Petrella points out. Moreover, thousands of migrants have arrived since the end of the lockdown, making it impossible to enforce order and to guarantee the security of citizens.

WORLD

Tags:

arrivals, attack, help, illegal, italy, migrants, migration, murder, priest