Sao Paulo, Brazil - Authorities are trying to determine if a U.S. Jesuit priest found dead in northeastern Brazil committed suicide or was killed.
The nude body of Ferdinand Azevedo, 72, a professor at a local university, was found on Monday in his room at a spiritual retreat near the city of Recife, capital of Pernambuco state, said police inspector Morgana Alves.
Alves was one of the first police officers to enter the room where Azevedo's body was found, in a kneeling position and in an advanced state of decomposition.
Azevedo's left hand was tied behind his back with a cord that went around his waist, she said in a telephone interview. A metal chain was wrapped around his neck. The body showed no signs of violence and nothing was stolen from Azevedo's room. Authorities are conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
"At this stage, we cannot rule out anything," Alves said. "Suicide is a possibility, but so is homicide."
Azevedo was ordained a priest in 1970 and started teaching history at the Catholic University of Pernambuco in 1975, the university said in a statement posted on its website.
He had degrees from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, Loyola University of Los Angeles, and the Catholic University of America, of Washington, D.C.
In addition to history, Azevedo taught the science of religion. He was the author of several books and articles, most of which focused on the history of the Jesuit missions in Brazil.
In 1997, he was granted honorary state citizenship by the Pernambuco legislature.
Azevedo was buried Tuesday at Recife's Santo Amaro cemetery.