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Prime Minister's Statement
February 2, 1997
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien today expressed shock and
deep sadness at the murder of Canadian priest, Father Guy Pinard,
who was killed in his church Saturday, in northern Rwanda.
The Prime Minister noted that Father Pinard had devoted himself
to helping the people of Rwanda during these most difficult times.
"It is a tragedy that such violence has been directed against
one who had committed himself to assisting Rwanda with such dedication
and personal commitment" he said. "The horror strikes
Canadians even more deeply when the victim is one our own countrymen".
Father Pinard, 61, had been working in Rwanda with the White Fathers,
an order of Catholic missionaries, since 1962. He came from Trois
Rivières, Quebec.
The Prime Minister expressed condolences to Father Pinard's family
and to the White Fathers and expressed the hope that the perpetrators
of this barbaric act will be found and brought to justice.
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PMO Press Office: (613) 957-5555
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