Martyr in Brazil

Chapter 5. Morro dos Maristas

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Fr. Albert Pierobon, killed... with no apparent reasons or explanations

In July 1976, Albert also died tragically, like his brother Louis and his sister Sandra before him. At the time he was based in Moreia Salles, but on July 26 he had left for Curitiba to take part in a Xaverian assembly. According to a report made to bishop Gazza by the Regional Superior Carlo Coruzzi, on July 27 in the evening, Father Albert suffered a serious attack of nervous tension, fear and trembling. He received treatment, but he spent a restless night. The following day the doctor prescribed treatments and some tests. On July 29 he seemed to be all right, though he returned to the doctor for further examination.

That night, however, he was tormented by nightmares, the Xaverians who slept in the nearby rooms ran to his assistance and he told them he had been dreaming that someone wanted to harm him. He had a foreboding of death. The next morning he went to the Xaverian house in Vista Alegre. He called Father Coruzzi and told him he wanted to make a public confession in order to explain the nightmare. The superior dissuaded him, then they returned to Curitiba with other fathers.

At the end of the assembly, he was asked to remain for a while, for further rest, and await the results of the medical tests. He accepted and, a few days later, he returned to Moreira Salles by car with a parishioner. On the night of July 30, the nightmares returned and some fathers had to keep him company until dawn. At about 2 pm on July 31, he was seen leaving his room, heading for a country road, in his shirt sleeves and without his glasses. It seemed he was just going out for some fresh air. He was never seen again.

In Moreira Salles, South Brazil, Father Albert Pierobon was responsible for a parish that was so enormous that only a plane would allow its priest to visit all his people. He worked tirelessly, in spite of stomach problems and a bad back. The area had been singled out by the Brazilian government as a target for great development because of its extreme poverty.
Fr. Albert Pierobon

The Xaverians searched for him everywhere and notified the police of his disappearance; the doctor who had treated him was questioned, the superiors and the family were informed, and a local radio with a large team was asked to help in the search. No one could understand why he had left without his glasses and jacket (it was very cold in that period), without even a bag. Days, weeks and months went by, without any further developments.

On September 9, 1976, the police of Almirante Tamandarè, a locality 10 miles from Curitiba, was informed by a hunter that there was a decomposed body on the hill known as Morro dos Maristas. The following day, at 7:30 am, a parishioner of Vista Alegre informed the Xaverians that Father Albert had been found. He had heard the news on the radio.

At the time, the fathers thought this was strange, since the police had not contacted them. Nevertheless, they went to the morgue and only then were they informed of the discovery. The body was unrecognizable: only the documents gave some indication that it was a priest. Two students had been given permission to view the body, but they were unable to identify it. At 1:30 pm, Fr. Coruzzi arrived by plane from São Paulo and asked to see the body.

After examining the clothes, there was no longer any room for doubt: the trousers, socks, shirt and shoes belonged to Father Albert. The body itself was unrecognizable, the skull seemed strangely clean. The doctor told them later that the hands were missing. Everything pointed to murder as the most accurate explanation of what had happened.

Committed to work with the poor

Working for Justice

No one has ever found out exactly what happened: was Father Albert killed? If so, by whom was this much loved priest murdered? The Italian and Brazilian press asked the same disturbing question. The Italian magazine “Famiglia Cristiana” wrote an article on the story of Father Albert Pierobon who had become a missionary in response to his brother Louis’s tragic death.

The article concluded: “In Moreira Salles, South Brazil, Father Albert Pierobon was responsible for a parish that was so enormous that only a plane would allow its priest to visit all his people. He worked tirelessly, in spite of stomach problems and a bad back. The area had been singled out by the Brazilian government as a target for great development because of its extreme poverty.

There was much coming and going of trucks transporting lumber that had been cut down to make way for homesteads and factories. Father Albert faced head-on the many problems that arose: when a parishioner wrote asking him to order a group of gypsies to stop stealing, he left whatever he was doing, despite the fact that his health had deteriorated: he could hardly eat anything and only drank coffee. Besides, it was the end of July, the winter season, and it was very cold. According to the Brazilian police, Father Albert was killed by these gypsies.

Bishop Gazza agreed that this was the most plausible explanation: ‘The autopsy report confirmed that the head and the hands were separated from the body. Nevertheless, he had not been robbed of anything and this is a mystery. If the gypsies killed him, why did they not rob him too? According to others, the priest had been a victim of one of the many road accidents that occur in this immense country. It is fairly common for lumber drivers to kill someone and throw their bodies into the bush in order to avoid any trouble. It is possible that this is what happened to Father Albert.

We initially thought he had collapsed because he had been unwell, suffering from exhaustion and stomach pains; he was also afflicted by the memory of his sister’s tragic death. He could have fainted on the road and then died, either of heart failure or dehydration. The official version is the most cruel one. In any case, his life ended as he would have wanted: in the heat of the action, helping his neighbor without any fear of death or danger, no bitterness in his heart’.”

The authorities handed the body over to the Xaverians; it was taken to the church in Vista Alegre where the members of his community held an all-night vigil attended also by the sisters and the students. In the morning Mass was celebrated and the body of Father Albert then left on its last journey to his parish in Moreira Salles.

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