In the Colombian city of Cali, Archbishop Isaias Duarte Cancino has been shot dead by unknown gunmen.
Archbishop Duarte (63) had just completed a group wedding when he was shot outside the church in Cali, witnesses said.
The Archbishop was pronounced dead on arrival at Carlos Holmes Trujillo Hospital in Cali - Colombia's third-largest city.
Mr Edilberto Ceballos, Archbishop Duarte's driver, told Caracol radio network the archbishop was shot several times, including in the head.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Archbishop Duarte had frequently criticised leftist rebels for their attacks and kidnappings.
Colombia's 38-year-old civil war has intensified since peace talks with the main rebel army, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, collapsed on February 20th.
A smaller rebel group, the National Liberation Army, known as the ELN, has also earned Archbishop Duarte's ire for conducting mass kidnappings in Cali in recent years, including abducting worshippers at a Cali church.
Although talks with the FARC collapsed, the ELN is participating in peace talks with Colombian government representatives in Havana, Cuba.
Mr Alvaro Uribe, who is leading the polls ahead of presidential elections next May 26th, said he was saddened by the assassination.
PA and