Rufus_Halley
Rufus Halley
Murdered Roman Catholic missionary
Rufus Halley (1944[1] - 28 August 2001) was a Roman Catholic priest of the Missionary Society of St. Columban who spent more than 20 years promoting ecumenical dialogue between Christians and Muslims in Asia. A native of Killoteran, County Waterford, Ireland, he was appointed to the Philippines shortly after his ordination to the priesthood in 1969, living with and ministering to the rural poor.
In 1980, he moved to Mindanao in the south of the Philippines and volunteered to engage in dialogue with local Muslims. In a bid to break down the mutual distrust and mistrust, Halley integrated with both Christian and Muslim communities by learning two local languages (one of which being Maranao)[1] and worked for many years in a store owned by a Muslim selling rice and corn.[2] Halley fought for the rights of oppressed Muslims, who were being targeted by the Philippine Army.[3]