Man had ‘revelation’ before killing bishop
Pope Benedict XVI sits next to Orthodox Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus at the church of Agia Kyriaki Chrysopolitissa
The chauffeur of the murdered head of the Roman Catholic Church in Turkey has said he had a divine revelation before cutting the cleric’s throat as he sat in his garden, his lawyer said Friday.
Murat Altun, 26, who was also the bodyguard of Bishop Luigi Padovese, was charged with murder at a court in the southern city of Iskenderun, home to an ancient but dwindling Christian community.
“He said in his testimony he had a revelation, but he had psychological problems... He was receiving treatment and a medical report proves that,” Anatolia news agency quoted lawyer Cihan Onal as saying.
“He does not say clearly why he committed the murder. In fact, he is giving contradictory statements,” Mr Onal said.
Thursday’s murder followed a series of attacks on Christian priests in Turkey that have fuelled concern of rising hostility against non-Muslims in the EU-hopeful country.
The 63-year-old Italian bishop, Vicar Apostolic of Anatolia since 2004, was killed in the garden of his summer house in a seaside town near Iskenderun, in Hatay province.
Altun told investigators he killed the bishop on his own and that no one either helped him or incited him to carry out the attack, the lawyer said. Altun, who had been working for Padovese for four-and-a-half years, had been to the local hospital’s psychiatric service in May, Hatay governor Celalettin Lekesiz said Thursday.
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