France Frees Initial Suspect In Shooting of Priest

By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News

(Worthy News) – Church members prayed Sunday after police in the French city of Lyon released an initial suspect in the shooting of a Greek Orthodox priest.

The French prosecutor’s office said it found no evidence of the involvement in Saturday’s attempted murder of Nikolaos Kakavelakis.

Officials suggested that the gunman who seriously injured the priest could still be at large.

Saturday’s shooting happened when the priest was closing his church on Saturday, authorities said. He was seriously injured.

PRAYING FOR RECOVERY

The Greek Orthodox Holy Diocese of France expressed concern. “We pray for a speedy recovery and unequivocally condemn all forms of violence,” it said in a statement.

Church officials said he was scheduled to return soon to Greece after his assignment at the Lyon church.

Prosecutors so far declined to call it an act of terrorism. Some reports suggested there was a possible personal motive for the attempted murder.

However, the attack came just two days after a suspected Islamist killed three people at a church in the French city of Nice.

And earlier last month, a teacher was beheaded in a Paris suburb after showing Prophet Muhammad cartoons to students.

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