Cleveland: Priest found dead in fire died from gunshot wound

A Roman Catholic priest found dead in his church’s rectory following a fire had been shot to death, authorities said Sunday.

The Rev. William Gulas, 69, pastor of St. Stanislaus Church, died of a single gunshot wound to the chest Saturday, the county coroner said. His death has been ruled a homicide.

Police said they were still investigating a motive.

“Father Gulas was very well liked in the community, and he had a number of friends, so this is really a mystery,” said Celeste Glasgow, spokeswoman for Mayor Jane Campbell.

A preliminary investigation shows Gulas had been shot and suffered a blow to the top of his head before the fire was set, said Dr. Elizabeth Balraj, the Cuyahoga County coroner.

Fire officials said the cause of the fire had not been determined; the arson unit was investigating. Two others inside the rectory had escaped.

Venezuela: President sends troops to run gasoline distribution

President Hugo Chavez sent troops to open gas stations and commandeer private gas delivery trucks Sunday amid increasing signs of scarcity due to a strike that has shut down the oil industry of the world’s fifth-largest producer.

Lines of cars stretched for blocks Sunday in Caracas as panic-buying at gas stations began on the general strike’s seventh day. Troops stood by pumps after Chavez ordered them to ensure continued service.

The national guard seized at least three gasoline distribution centers and hired civilians to drive commandeered tanker trucks to gas stations. Last week, Chavez sent soldiers to protect oil wells and refineries from possible sabotage by strikers.

The strike has forged a deep divide between supporters of Chavez and those who want him toppled. It has stopped shipments of crude to the United States, which purchases more than 10 percent of its imported oil from Venezuela.

Israel: Sharon aide: Arafat should stay away from Bethlehem

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat should not attend the Midnight Mass in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve this year because he is not a man of peace, a senior aide to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday.

However, the aide, Raanan Gissin, stopped short of saying that Israel would ban Arafat from Bethlehem, as it did last year.

Asked if Israel would stop Arafat from attending, Gissin said: “I didn’t say we would stop him. I just said that he should stay in his place.”

Arafat has been confined to his office in the West Bank town of Ramallah for almost a year, the second year of Palestinian-Israeli violence. Israeli tanks and troops periodically break into the compound and surround Arafat’s office building.

“He should stay in his place, in (Ramallah),” Gissin told The Associated Press, “because he has caused much tragedy to the Christian population, and he didn’t do anything to advance the cause of peace.”