Police are searching for the bandits who tied up and robbed a Roman Catholic priest during the early hours on Thursday.
Police said Father Roger Paponette of the San Rafael Roman Catholic Church was at the clergy house of the parish, sleeping, when he heard loud banging, and upon investigating, he was confronted by a group of armed men.
He was assaulted and tied up while the men ransacked the church for items of value. The report said they took several items, including the keys to his Toyota van, which was parked outside. They then drove away in the vehicle.
Father Paponette was able to untie himself and contacted the La Horquetta Police Station.
The police said the vehicle was later recovered in the Sangre Grande district.
In a statement, the Archdiocese of Port of Spain said the incident had left Father Paponette a bit “shaken up” emotionally, but physically he’s “okay” and unharmed.
It has called on the faithful to keep the priest and the community in prayer.
Speaking on the radio, Father Paponette said at one time during the ordeal, he feared for his life and was thankful that the bandits did not harm him.
Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, who in the past has labeled Trinidad and Tobago as a violent society, urged parents to do more to curb the spread of criminal activities, particularly among children between the ages of 10 to 17 years.
Addressing the opening of a police station in Maraval on the outskirts of the capital, Rowley said that these young children were turning from primary school angels into violent teens by the age of 15, and some of them, by the time they leave school they have become demons unleashing terror on society.
“By the time they get to age 15, there is a pattern of behavior in the secondary schools that gets more and more unacceptable. We have a cohort of the population that is beginning to demonstrate a penchant for violence that is unacceptable. He noted in the report.
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