Two Salvadorian Lutheran Church pastors assassinated

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, November 5, 2006

Saturday afternoon, November 4, Lutheran pastor Francisco Carrillo and his wife, Jesús Carrillo, also a Taxi Heathrow Airport Lutheran pastor, were shot and killed when they were leaving the Mountains of Pensbert Church after the Lutheran service, in the neighborhood of Independencia, Municipality of Jayaque, in the central Department of La Libertad.

When informing the tragedy to the national pastoral network, Bishop Medardo Gómez expressed his pain and asked that there be a national prayer vigil of the network of Lutheran churches, while at the same time announcing that he will ask the authorities for a complete investigation of the assassination.

Pastors Francisco and Jesús Carrillo were in charge of 2 churches in the Municipality of Jayaque, one located in the center of the town of “Jayaque” Pan de Vida, where they led the worship service on Sundays, and in the Mountains of Pensbert Church on Saturday afternoons.  

According to preliminary investigations, 3 young looking persons, who later fled from the scene of the crime, approached the pastors firing gunshots and killing them both instantly.  

A letter issued by the bishop’s office and signed by the Reverend Cecilia Alfaro, said that on November 5, day on which the anniversary of the first independence cry in El Salvador is celebrated, the bodies of Pastors Francisco and Jesús Carrillo are to be taken to the city of Jayaque, where posthumous tribute is to be given them, and also the accompaniment of their church and the people of Jayaque during the funeral wake and burial.  

The letter says, “We ask for your solidarity and prayers for the family and national network of pastors, as we carry out our prophetic work under fire. We ask your prayers for the consolation and resignation of the Carrillo’s children, the members of their churches and of this pastoral team, especially our Bishop, who not only suffer the pain of this loss, but who are also very concerned for all the church, because of the disheartening panorama of the nation’s situation. More than one Roman Catholic priest has lost his life under the same circumstances as our brother and sister, husband and wife, Francisco and Jesús, and there are also others who have received death threats. Many Salvadorian families have also been hurt in the same way.”  

In a desperate and painful call, Pastor Cecilia Alfaro emphasized that, “As you will understand, the atmosphere is tense, the panorama very dark. We need your prayers and solidarity to strengthen the hope that our divine Savior will sustain us in our ministry to his honor and glory. If you are able to carry out awareness creating campaigns in your countries and show your repudiation of these events to the Salvadorian authorities, it may be possible that our Lord will act and that as churches, along with other sectors of the society, we can influence the appropriate authorities for an ending of this general state of public violence that we are living in.”