Pinoys in Milan gather for Mass for Italian priest slain in PHL

Filipinos in Italy recently gathered for a Holy Mass held in memory of Italian priest Father Fausto Tentorio, who was gunned down in Mindanao late last year. According to a news release of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday, the Mass was held at the Santo Stefano Church on February 25.   "There were three Filipino and four Italian priests who celebrated the Holy Mass, with two of his colleagues from the PIME (Pontificio Istituto Missioni Estere, Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions) congregation, Fathers Benedetti and Piccolo, as main celebrant and homily speaker, respectively," the DFA said.   Among those present were Tentorio's brother Felice and his wife, sister Mariella, and other relatives.   Felice thanked those who attended the Mass and recounted what he witnessed during the funeral and the "outpouring of love that he felt from the people for his brother." Meanwhile, Philippine Consul General Lourdes Tabamo thanked the attendees, organizers, priests and the Tentorio families for their presence.   She made a special request to Filipinos to continue supporting Tentorio's "Coin from the Heart" project that helps Manobo children go to school. Murder of Tentorio   Tentorio, who was gunned down in North Cotabato last year, was the third priest in their congregation who was murdered in the Philippines.

A member of the Pontificio Instituto Missioni Estere (PIME or Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions),Tentorio was shot and killed by a lone gunman inside the compound of the Mother of Perpetual Help parish church in Arakan at around 7:30 a.m. on October 17, 2011.

According to the PIME Philippines blog, two other Italian members of their congregation were murdered before Tentorio — Father Tullio Favali and Father Salvatore Carzedda.

All three missionary priests were murdered in Mindanao — Tentorio and Favali in North Cotabato and Carzedda in Zamboanga City.

The 59-year-old Tentorio was said to be a staunch anti-mining advocate who had previously received threats to his life.

According to PIME Philippines, Tentorio, or "Father Pops" as he was popularly known, earlier had a near-death experience during one of his visits to the indigenous communities or lumad in the town of Kitao-tao in Bukidnon province in 2003.  Fr. Tentorio was born January 7, 1952 in St. Mary of Rovagnate and raised in Santa Maria Hoe’ in Lecco, Italy. He was ordained in 1977 and left for the Philippines the following year. He worked with Christian, Muslim and indigenous B’laan communities in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat before transferring to the mission in Arakan. - VVP, GMA News