Dhaka (AsiaNews) – Fr Piero Parolari, the Catholic priest with the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) who was attacked last week by three unknown thugs, is doing better.
“We are very much pleased that Fr Piero Parolari is rapidly getting better. He can speak without difficulty and doctors have reduced his drugs and antibiotics. And he can walk with the help of staff,” a Catholic source told AsiasNews. Very soon, he will return to Italy for more treatment and convalescence.
On 18 November, Fr Parolari escaped an assassination attempt by three people who approached him as he was making his way to Dinajpur Medical College, where he has worked for years.
Who and why he was attacked remain unknown. Although the Islamic State group claimed responsibility, local sources told AsiaNews that the country’s political instability is likely the main factor.
Police have not yet made any statement as to the motive for the attack. "It is unclear why it happened,” the source said. “Fr Parolari’s wounds to the head do not show whether he was attacked with a knife or a gun.” What is certain is that the priest "has no memory of what happened" and that he will soon be moved to Italy.
An “Italian doctor and anaesthesiologist” are expected in the coming days. “They will evaluate Fr Parolari’s health and determine when he can travel.”
The source said that the missionary will convalesce at Rome’s Bambino Gesù Hospital, where doctors "offered to treat him right after the attack. Here he will undergo further exams, which might shed more light on what happened to him."
Lastly, the source stressed the "seriousness of the incident. The attack on Fr Piero is a very serious thing for the country. For this reason, Catholic associations like Caritas and the Bangladesh Christian Association created a human chain yesterday to show their opposition to violence against religious leaders.”
Meanwhile, in the country tensions continue to grow with foreigners and religious leaders as the prime target.