Two Colombian priests hire their own assassin

Of course it takes all types and sizes to make up the world and all its varying groups but the story of the two young Colombian priests who arranged their own killing is particularly and profoundly sad.

The two men hired criminals to kill them after they lost their nerve when attempting to throw themselves off a cliff.

The two men were gay and one of them had Aids.

Again, that sort of sad event happens across the world across all groups and professions.

Had their bishop or provincial ever sat down and spoken to them about their lives?

The church uses the title 'Father' for their ministers of religion. Bishops talk about their 'brother' priests. Sometimes it really is a great game of tomfoolery.

An old priests who retired in recent years, after a long and powerful ministry, told this writer just this summer that his bishop would never dream pick up the phone to say hello to him.

There is a real dysfunction in priesthood and signs are that the difficulty is not exclusively an Irish phenomenon.