Vatican City.- Pope Francis today condemned the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, at the hands of alleged hit men, when he was leaving an electoral rally in Quito last Wednesday, a case that has shocked Latin America and the rest of the world.
“The Holy Father wishes to convey his deep condolences to your excellency, to the family of the deceased and to all the beloved Ecuadorian people,” the Vatican said in a telegram sent on behalf of the Pontiff by the Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, to Archbishop from Quito, Alfredo José Espinoza Mateus.
The Argentine Pope also made a “call to all citizens and political forces to unite in a common effort in favor of peace”, in the face of “the suffering caused by unjustifiable violence, which he condemns with all his might.”
“With these sentiments, Pope Francis, while entrusting the eternal rest of Mr. Villavicenzo to the maternal intercession of Our Lady of El Quinche, affectionately imparts the Apostolic Blessing, as a sign of faith and hope in the risen Christ,” he concluded. the message written in Spanish.
A journalist and former member of the National Assembly, Villavicencio was one of the eight candidates for the presidency who were running in the extraordinary general elections scheduled for the next day 20 in which the successor to the conservative Guillermo Lasso will be elected.
The European Union (EU), the UN and the Organization of American States (OAS) also condemned the assassination.
Nine other people were injured in the attack, of which five are in stable condition at the Women’s Clinic, where Villavicencio also arrived in a “fulminant” condition, which prevented health personnel from saving his life, according to a statement. from that health center.
So far, the Police have confirmed the arrest of six men – all Colombians – as alleged material authors of the murder, who have entered preventive detention by order of a judge, while a seventh man, also of Colombian nationality, died the same day of the attack in an exchange of shots
