Father Jim Carney was an...
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Father Jim Carney was an American Jesuit priest who was assigned to a mission in
Honduras. Father Jim loved the poor and oppressed and spent almost twenty years in
Honduras ministering to the poorest of the poor. He became one of them by living as they
lived, eating what they ate, and sharing their life. He became a Honduran citizen in 1973.
Because he tried to help the people better themselves by helping them to form
cooperatives, strengthening unions, and fighting for land that was rightfully theirs, he was
exiled without a trial in 1979 by the Honduran government. He was reassigned to
Nicaragua, but when an opportunity came to accompany a group of Honduran soldiers
crossing over to Honduras in July 1983, he offered to return with them as their chaplain.
He was later detained and thrown to his death from a helicopter by the Honduran
officials.
