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| Pope Francis holds the weekly general audience at the San Damaso courtyard at the Vatican |
Pope Francis on Wednesday paid tribute to an Italian priest killed by an immigrant suffering from mental illness, while far-right politician Matteo Salvini called for a โvendettaโ.
Father Roberto Malgesini, 51, who cared for immigrants and other needy people in the northern city of Como, was found dead from a stab wound outside his residence on Tuesday morning.
A Tunisian immigrant who police said was mentally ill later turned himself in to authorities.
Speaking at the end of his weekly general audience, Francis said Malgesini was killed โby a needy person who he himself was helping, a person who was mentally illโ.
Francis praised the โmartyrdom of this witness of charity towards the most poor (and) all the priests, nuns, laymen and lay women who work with needy people who are discarded by societyโ.
He then asked the audience of about 500 people in a Vatican courtyard to observe a minute of silent prayer for Malgesini.
Salvini, leader of the anti-immigrant League party and a former justice minister who has sparred with the pope on immigration issues before, mentioned the priest at a political rally in northern Italy on Wednesday morning.
โThe fact that yesterday morning in Como a pastor was stabbed by an immigrant who should have been expelled is something that ought to make everyone cry out for vendetta,โ he said at the rally, according to the Italian news agency Ansa.
Nicola Frantoianni of the Italian Left party attacked Salvini, accusing him of โsqualidlyโ exploiting the priestโs killing to โinject new poison in the veins of Italian societyโ.
REUTERS
