NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- The Vatican today released the formal results of an inquiry into the May 1998 killings of Swiss Guard Col. Alois Estermann, his wife Gladys Meza Romero, and a disaffected member of the Swiss Guard.

      Judge Gianluigi Marrone of the Vatican Tribunal concluded, in a report dated February 5, that "the Estermann couple were killed by Vice-Corporal Cedric Tornay, who then immediately killed himself with the same automatic pistol."

      That report brought a conclusion to a nine-month inquiry into the May 4 murders. Since the killer himself is dead, and there is no evidence of outside involvement, the case is now closed.

      The official Vatican statement indicated that the investigation involved five police reports, and testimony from experts in ballistics, toxicology, and other fields. In all, 38 people gave testimony, and the Vatican thanked a variety of officials in Rome and Switzerland for their help in providing evidence and expert analysis.

      The results of the inquiry fully confirm the explanation set forth by Vatican officials almost immediately after the killings. The full-scale investigation was undertaken in part to allay fears that the Vatican had overlooked evidence of more sinister plots within the Swiss Guard. No such evidence emerged during the months of inquiry.