Sun streamed through the stained-glass windows onto the pews. Only the soft murmurs of prayers disturbed the peaceful silence. It was the morning of 5 February 2006, and Mass at Santa Maria Church in Türkiye had subsided. Andrea Santoro could take his time in fellowship and conversation with God. Suddenly, the back doors of the church flew open.
Before Santoro could even turn around, two bullets had pierced his body, hitting his heart and liver. In an instant, he went from a simple conversation with God on Earth into eternal fellowship with Him in Heaven.
“Allahu Akbar!” (“Allah is great!”) cried the Muslim assailant as he fled the church and escaped down the road. This phrase is an Arabic exhortation used as a rallying cry by Islamic militants. Police later launched a major manhunt and found him hiding in a relative’s home near the city centre.
He was only sixteen years old, already filled with enough hate and deception that he could kill an innocent priest in cold blood, believing he was doing Allah a favour. Prior to his murder, Santoro was threatened numerous times by Muslim militants about his ministry of converting Muslims to Christianity. The priest never requested police protection. He did not want to hinder his ministry
There are numerous theories about why Santoro was killed, but the constant theme running through them is that he was a Christian, one who dared to share his faith with Muslims. Had he confined his ministry to his church, he may have avoided the assault.
The Santa Maira Church was built in the second half of the nineteenth century to serve foreign Christians visiting the city. Santoro was a member of the Sons of Divine Providence, a Catholic religious order in Italy. He came to Türkiye in 2000 to live and work, and eventually to die for his commitment to bring “church” outside the safety of its four walls.
We need to challenge ourselves to have the same attitude as Father Santoro. Are we going to the live the rest of our lives in the safety of the 4 walls of the church? Is that really what Jesus has called us to? Holy Spirit, please help us really be the church, not live in one. Father Santoro died in a church but lived his life outside of it. The Muslims around him would have born witness to the enormous difference between the love he showed and the hate he was killed by.