The Georgia Bulletin

Mon, Oct 13, 2008


What I Have Seen and Heard - Archbishop Gregory's Weekly Column

Guatemala City priest dies after being shot during robbery

Published: 2004-08-02

GUATEMALA CITY (CNS) -- A Guatemalan priest was shot and killed by unidentified assailants who stole the priest's cell phone. Father Eusebio Sazo Urbina, 45, of Savior of the World Parish in Guatemala City, was shot twice July 30 after being lured away from the parish by two suspects, police said. Witnesses told police the suspects came to the parish around noon, seeking the priest's assistance. They asked Father Sazo to come with them to a nearby location, where they robbed and shot the priest in the neck and abdomen, police said. Paramedics rushed Father Sazo to St. John of God Hospital in Guatemala City, where he died shortly after his arrival. "It was Father Eusebio's nature to always come to the assistance of those in need, and that's how they got him out of the parish," a parishioner said. Father Sazo had been at the parish for six months.