Italian Priest Alive and Safe in Bethlehem
Reuters, April 2, 2002
Italian Priest Alive and Safe in Bethlehem
April 2
— ROME (Reuters) - An Italian Roman Catholic priest reported as killed
during fierce fighting in the West Bank town of Bethlehem is alive and
well, an official of the Salesian religious order said Tuesday.
The Roman Catholic Missionary Service News Agency
(MISNA) earlier quoted a priest in Bethlehem as saying Father Jacques Amateis,
who belongs to the Salesian order, had died in a gunbattle in the biblical
city.
However, a Salesian official told Reuters Amateis
later phoned the Vatican embassy in the Holy Land to say he was safe.
"There was fighting, but there were no victims among
the Salesians. We can confirm that Amateis is alive," said the official,
who declined to be named.
Copyright 2002 Reuters News Service