A priest was murdered on the eve of Mexico’s Independence Day celebrations, reinforcing the country’s reputation as the most lethal in the world for Catholic clergy. Source: OSV News.
In a September 16 statement, the Huejutla Diocese confirmed the death a day earlier of Fr Román de la Cruz Hernández, pastor at Santa Cruz Parish in the municipality of Huejutla de Reyes, about 290 kilometres northeast of Mexico City in Hidalgo state.
The diocese preferred not to speculate on the details of Fr de la Cruz’s death, which came two days after a march for peace was convened in another part of Mexico to call for an end to violence in the country.
News outlet N+ reported the body being found on September 15 along a rural roadway; he had been shot multiple times. N+ reported the attack occurred at the same time as Mexicans traditionally celebrate the country’s independence from Spanish rule.
“In light of the alarming situation of violence in our country, we urgently call upon the competent authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to clarify the incident that took place in our diocese, to ensure justice is served, and to prevent this event – as well as other crimes that have wounded our nation – from going unpunished,” read the statement, signed by Bishop José Hiraís Acosta Beltrán.
Four priests have been killed since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office on October 1, 2024, according to the Catholic Multimedia Centre, which tracks violence against the Church in Mexico.
The newspaper El Sol de Hidalgo reported in August that priests in the Huejutla Diocese had their mobile phones hacked and calls from their numbers were being made to request donations and extort Catholics.
Violence has consumed parts of Mexico since late 2006, after then-president Felipe Calderón launched a crackdown on drug cartels – which have clashed with the authorities and battled over crime territories.
More than 460,000 homicides have been recorded over the past 20 years, while at least 134,000 Mexicans remain missing, according to a government registry.
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Mexican priest killed 2 days after cries for a halt to violence come during a march for peace (By David Agren, OSV News)
