Concussion in El Salvador for the murder of a priest

The Salvadoran government condemned the "vile" badbadination of a Catholic priest, who was shot dead in the city of Juayúa, 86 km west of San Salvador, and conveyed his condolences to the family of priest.

"The government of El Salvador deeply regrets and condemns the badbadination of the priest Cecilio Pérez, pastor of the church San José La Majada, in Juayúa, Sonsonate," said the executive in a communicated.

He also sent his condolences to the family and friends of the father, to the Catholic community of the country of Central America and to the congregation of the city of San José La Majada, where the crime was committed.

The crime was committed Friday morning in the parish of San José Majada, in the canton of the same name, according to the prosecutor's office of El Salvador, who did not provide more details about the murder, reported the ### 39, EFE News Agency.

The government said that after the criminal act, "precise instructions have been given to the security authorities to redouble their efforts and capture those responsible".

The digital edition of La Prensa Grafica of El Salvador has issued a note stating that the Salvadoran priest would not have paid extortion to a gang at the crime scene.

"He did not pay the rent MS13" was the alleged note left by the pastor's badailants who would link the murder to Mara Salvatrucha's gang. In addition, bullet cartridges were found instead, according to the newspaper.

The crime sparked outrage from the Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of San Salvador deplored the murder of the priest, who was part of the diocese of Sonsonate Department.

In March of last year, the priest Walter Osmir Vásquez Jiménez was murdered in the city of Lolotic (west) while he was driving to a religious ceremony in Santiago de María, where he was working.

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To date, the Salvadoran authorities have not been informed of ongoing investigations to clarify the crime and to find those responsible.

El Salvador is considered one of the most violent countries in the world according to the homicide rate per 100 000 inhabitants registered between 103 and 50.3 between 2015 and 2018, indices attributed mainly to gangs Mara Salvatrucha ( MS13) and Barrio 18.

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