Christians and Muslims gathered in the quiet coastal town of Malabang on the southern Philippines island of Mindanao yesterday to mourn Father Rufus Halley, the Irish Columban priest shot dead by an armed gang on Tuesday.
Father Halley (57), from Killoteran, Co Waterford, is to be buried in the Philippines this Saturday, a country where he devoted more than three decades to working with the poor and working for peace.
Malabang was quiet yesterday as an estimated 2,000 people lined up to view the remains of Father Halley, or "Father Popong" as he was known by local people, at Our Lady of Peace Parish Church.
There was a huge outpouring of grief for the popular priest, who had lived in the town for the last 20 years after moving to Mindanao from the Philippines capital Manila.
The local police chief, Insp Randall-Lyon Bueno, said a unit of 600 police and troops was hunting a gang of six responsible for the murder. One of the gang has been identified as Mr Akto Sumagayan Daing (35), a son of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Commander. MILF is the largest Muslim separatist group in the region.
Insp Bueno said witnesses had positively identified a named man as the gunman who shot Father Halley as he returned on his motorbike to Malabang after attending a meeting of Muslims and Christians at about 5 p.m. on Tuesday. The gang was attempting to kidnap Father Halley and the priest resisted.
Father Halley's superior, Father Colin McKetting, arrived in Malabang from Manila, yesterday. The funeral service for Father Halley will be held in Mindanao on Saturday and he will be buried afterwards in the Columban Fathers' plot at the city of Lagayan De Oro. It is hoped one of his brothers will be able to travel from Ireland for the service.
Father Halley is survived by his mother, Mrs Imelda Halley, five brothers and a sister.
A local journalist, Edwin O. Fernandez, said Father Halley's colleagues spoke of his work for peace as they paid their respects. Among them was the school principal, Mrs Bai Connie Balindon, who said his death was painful to Muslims and Christians alike. Belgian missionary priest and Father Halley's neighbouring parish priest, Father Bernard Maes, could not hide his tears as he looked on as hundreds queued to take a glimpse of Father Halley's remains.
Columban district superior and lifelong friend of the murdered priest, Father Bernard Mulkerins, said the community was shocked by the killing. He was speaking from the missionary order's headquarters near Manila.
There are 86 Columban fathers in the Philippines, most of them Irish. Father Mulkerins joined the Columban fathers on the same day as Father Halley, nearly 40 years ago. They trained in the Columbans' seminary in Dalgan Park, Co Meath. Both arrived in the Philippines on the same day in 1969 after their ordination.
"He was a very close friend and I cannot believe this has happened to him. I spoke to him after he returned from Ireland after a holiday this summer and he was in great form."
Father Halley was the latest in a long list of foreign and Filipino missionaries attacked by Muslim gunmen in Mindanao and nearby islands, where Manila has been fighting separatist groups for nearly three decades. The motives for the attacks were mostly kidnap for ransom.
Four Chinese working on an irrigation project and a Filipino guide were seized by MILF guerrillas in Sultan Kudarat province in Mindanao last June. Two of the Chinese were killed last week and one escaped when the kidnappers ran into a military unit. The kidnappers are demanding a $10 million ransom for the remaining two hostages and have threatened to behead them.
On Basilan island, Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf guerrillas have been holding a US missionary couple and 16 Filipinos hostage for more than three months. Located 500 miles south of Manila, Mindanao has been plagued for decades not only by separatist violence but also by a communist insurgency and kidnap gangs. Father Mulkerins said Father Halley had tried to break down barriers of hatred and mistrust between Muslims and Christians.
The organisation of Catholic bishops in the Philippines yesterday condemned the "brutal and unconscionable" killing of Father Halley. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines called on the authorities to pursue the gunmen relentlessly.
It said it would be putting pressure on the authorities to follow any lead and to pursue every angle that would lead to the apprehension of the murderers and their just punishment through the courts. The bishops also emphasised that the Catholic Church did not pay ransom for its kidnapped members, and that its work to help bring about peace in Mindanao would not be deterred by these attacks.
A Dublin festival which highlights the contribution and experience of Irish missionaries in cultures around the world is to be dedicated to the memory of Father Halley.
Father Tommy Murphy, president of the Irish Missionary Union, said Father Halley's death served as a reminder of the contribution made by all missionaries overseas in regions of conflict. Father Halley had devoted 30 years of his life to peace and reconciliation between Christian and Muslim communities, Father Murphy said.
Father Murphy said the IMU was dedicating this "festival of mission" to his memory and to the memories of all other missionaries who had dedicated and sacrificed their lives to help communities in regions of conflict. The festival will be held at the RDS, Dublin, from Thursday, October 4th to Sunday, October 7th.