agents murder group Valencian National Police They are investigating the death of a priest in his apartment at 22 Avellanas Street, very close to the building where the Archdiocese building is located.with a lifeless body and burn marks possible drowning He was found this Tuesday morning. Deceased Alfonso López Benito, 77 years old, one of the canons of the Cathedral of Valencia, The position he was appointed to in 2015 by then-archbishop Cardinal Antonio Cañizares.
The location of the dead body has been determined Thanks to the call of the building’s doorman Those who enter the house with their keys, accompanied by a priest’s acquaintance He asked for help because he was a victim.I haven’t answered your calls for days. When they entered, they found the lifeless body of the priest in his bed, with signs that he died as a result of drowning, the cause of which has not yet been determined.
Who sent your last message?
According to the information obtained by the administration National PoliceThe deceased person or someone using his mobile phone must have sent a message warning that he would be away for a week; It’s a message that investigators are now pursuing, given the way he was found dead.
It was stated that the body, which was examined by the forensic doctor, would be removed and taken to the hospital in a short time. legal medical institute (IML) will travel to Valencia to perform the autopsy, which may not be done until Wednesday.
Also, agents scientific police They examine the house, looking for footprints or other debris. The second person possibly involved in the death of Alfonso López, He is a native of Valencia, where he carries out a significant part of his priestly work.
Alfonso López Benito Canon of the collegiate church of St. Bartholomew the Apostle and St. Michael the Archangel since 1999In the city of Valencia. Ordained in 1969 it was Doctor of Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.
He was a priest in various places and a professor at the Valencian Institute of Legal Studies and the Canon Law School. Ha Worked at the Ecclesiastical Court of the Archdiocese of Valencia and is the author of many books.
The Archdiocese regretted
In his name, Archdiocese of Valencia issued a statement saying only: “Having learned of the death of Alfonso López Benito, honorary canon of the Cathedral of Valencia, Via the National Police and the media” And “We are saddened by this sad death.” and we at the disposal of the authorities “If the cooperation of the archdiocese serves to clarify the facts.”