A WOMAN was found dead inside San Fernando El Rey Church in Liloan, Cebu, on Friday night, shocking parishioners and church staff.
According to Police Lt. Col. Dindo Alaras, chief of the Liloan Police Station, the woman, believed to be in her 30s, has yet to be identified. She was found with blood on her nose, head injuries, and bruises on her neck, suggesting foul play.
Initial investigation indicated that the victim may have been attacked inside the church. “A candle vendor heard a woman screaming inside,” Alaras said in his report.
Witnesses also saw the victim enter the church with a man after the evening Mass. Church cleaners later asked them to leave, moments before the incident occurred.
The woman was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Police are reviewing CCTV footage from the church and have launched a hot pursuit operation to locate the suspect.
Following the incident, Cebu Archbishop Alberto Uy ordered the temporary closure of the parish church, suspending all public acts of worship until proper canonical procedures are completed.
“I, as the Archbishop of Cebu, decree the temporary closure of the Parish Church of San Fernando Rey, Liloan… to ensure the reparation of the desecration and the restoration of the church’s dignity as a house of prayer and peace,” Uy said in a statement.
The parish expressed condolences to the victim’s family and condemned the violence. “We unite in prayer for the victim’s family as we condemn in the strongest terms this act of violence committed within the very house of God,” it said.
