Karnataka Bishops express shock, sympathy over priest's death

Eleven Bishops of the Karnataka Region Bishop's Council have expressed shock and sympathy over the tragic murder of Fr. James Mukalel whose body was found roadside in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district, last week.

"The Church in Karnataka is deeply shaken with grief and shock over the death of Fr. James Mukalel," said president of the council, Archbishop Dr. Bernard Moras.

"It worries us that a man of God who served the people with utmost humility and a spirit of dedication was murdered," rued Archbishop Moras, who expressed "deepest condolences to the bereaved fraternity of priests and to the loved ones of Fr. James."

The body of Fr. James was found lying naked by the side of the road, with his motorcycle fallen nearby, on July 30, near Thottathady village.

Archbishop Moras says the council does not want to suspect or speculate the cause of the murder, but urges the "government to act with speed and in an unbiased way in finding out those involved in the murder and establishing the motives behind it."

The Church in Karnataka, he said, hopes that government take serious steps to ensure that such violent act do not recur.

The Mangalore police, meanwhile, are awaiting the forensic reports that can confirm if it is a case of murder or an accidental death. They have also formed a team to investigate the priest's death.

The 39-year-old Catholic priest hails from Kannur district in Kerala and was the priest at St Mary's Church near Kutrapady in Puttur taluk.