His Jesuit colleagues, as well as his friends and family members, have been waiting for 20 years for some news about his disappearance while serving the spiritual and social needs of the Honduran poor. This discovery does not bring closure to the incident, but it relieves the tension of uncertainty that has plagued his colleagues and family.

Your headline refers to him as a "radical" priest. Radical, yes, but no more so than Jesus of Nazareth, who was a consistent advocate of the disenfranchised and who challenged the oppressive imperial powers of his time whether political or religious. Carney joins a select company of priests and nuns who've been assassinated in Central America solely because of their steadfast defense of the basic human rights of the marginalized poor.

Today, when the image and the ethos of the Roman Catholic priesthood have been seriously tarnished by allegations of sexual abuse of children, it is redemptive to reflect on the life of Jim Carney, who was a true pastoral servant to thousands of people suffering under the cruel oppression of dictators. There was no limit to what he was willing to give to the Honduran people he loved and served, even the sacrifice of his life.

Eugene Maio
Tallmage