Bishops in Argentina are calling for "clarification" over the death of a priest found hanged in a room at his parish church.
Father Juan Heraldo Viroche, parish priest in Tucuman, was active in the fight against drugs. He had spoken of being threatened by drugs mafias.
In a statement, the Argentine bishops' conference said: "We join the request of the local Archbishop to clarify what happened as soon as possible and we are close to Viroche's family, to the faithful of the parish and the Church of Tucuman.
Accorcing to Agenzia Fides, Fr Viroche was found dead in his home in Tucuman which is about 70 km from the capital.
He was found by a cleaner in the song room used for choir rehearsals. Jewellery and cash were undisturbed in a bag nearby, ruling out robbery as a motive.
"The priest was well known in the area for his fight against drug trafficking. He was a very positive and dynamic person say those who knew him in his parish, where he was also very busy with families in the area," Fides said.
The episcopal commission for the pastoral care of addicts said: "Father Juan was known because he spent his life against drug trafficking, and defended those whose lives were in danger."
Fr Viroche had expressed to his closest collaborators his distress at threats he had received from drug mafias.
There were no signs of external violence on his body and the room where he was found was locked from the inside. But Fides reported that local people are reluctant to believe it was a suicide and staged a demonstration in front of the church demanding clarification.
La Nacion reported that the death had all the appearances of suicide. The autopsy report found no signs of violence or other features that indicate a homicide found.
However, earlier this week Fr Viroche confided to relatives that he was receiving threats and had requested a transfer to another parish.
