Father Marcelo Pérez, parish priest of the Cuxtitali parish in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Mexico, was murdered on October 20th. He had finished presiding over the Eucharistic celebration in the Cuxtitali sector, while he was heading to the Guadalupe church, according to official sources.
The Mexican Episcopal Conference strongly condemned the act of violence and demanded that a thorough investigation be carried out into the murder of the priest.
The indigenous Tsotsil priest had been repeatedly threatened for his work in promoting peace and mediating in the armed conflict taking place in Pantelhó; for this reason, the Diocese to which he belonged transferred him to the parish of Guadalupe in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, in order to protect him.
However, the priest, who was also a defender of indigenous peoples, continued his process of denunciation and mediation for the benefit of peace in Chiapas, an entity afflicted by armed conflict for three years. In the face of such an increase in violence in the region, Pérez continued to participate in the activities seeking peace. During the last interview that the priest gave, on September 13, he said that “Chiapas is a time bomb, there are many missing people, many kidnapped… Many murdered by the presence of organized crime,” while emphasizing that the three dioceses joined together to “demand peace.”
Bishops of Mexico
The Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) made public “its strongest condemnation and profound sorrow at the brutal murder of Father Marcelo Pérez.”
The bishops said that the act of violence not only “deprives the community of a dedicated pastor, but also silences a prophetic voice that tirelessly fought for peace with truth and justice in the region of Chiapas”; therefore, the CEM urged the authorities at different levels to carry out an “exhaustive and transparent investigation that leads to the clarification of this crime.”
They also requested the implementation of effective measures to guarantee the safety of priests and demanded that "efforts be redoubled to combat the violence and impunity" that afflicts the region.
The development of homicide
The Attorney General's Office of the State of Chiapas issued a statement on Sunday in which they asserted that they began "investigations in accordance with protocol against whoever is responsible for the crime of homicide against Father Marcelo 'N' that occurred in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas."
The judicial entity also reported that, after the report of gunshots, they went to Las Peras Street where "they found a white Ford Titanium pickup truck, with license plates from the state of Chiapas and inside a lifeless male person who responded to the name of Marcelo 'N', priest of the parish of Cuxtitali."
“According to preliminary data and initial investigations, Father Marcelo was leaving the aforementioned parish after celebrating mass and was heading to the Guadalupe church when two people on a motorcycle fired at the aforementioned vehicle,” the prosecutor’s office said in the statement, reiterating its “firm commitment to guarantee the rule of law and to ensure that no illegal action goes unpunished.”
In response to the violent incident, the Secretary of the Interior and former Secretary of Security, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, expressed her regret for “the events in which Father Marcelo Pérez Pérez lost his life” and sent her message of solidarity with the Catholic community through her X account (Twitter).
Rise of violence in the state
Since July 2021, violence in the state of Chiapas has resurged with greater force, following the emergence of movements that have been called “self-defense groups,” including El Machete and the Indigenous Civil Army, which are in conflict with each other and with other irregular armed groups. However, the murder of the priest appears to be attributed to another criminal group that dominates the region.
Following the creation of El Machete, numerous families of the Tsotsil ethnic group were displaced by the environment of violence, in which shootings between opposing groups were recorded. According to the Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Human Rights Center, “from 2010 to 2021, approximately 14,476 thousand displaced people have been registered in the state of Chiapas,” a phenomenon of forced displacement that, it said, is a consequence “of the actions of illegal armed groups.”
“Due to the current nature of the displacements, we consider it a form of torture, since the population is constantly under siege, they are instilled with fear, terror, physical and mental suffering, with the aim of controlling the territory and taking it over. The population as a whole experiences daily violence,” said the center for social and comprehensive defense.
The indigenous Tsotsil priest had been repeatedly threatened for his work in promoting peace and mediating in the armed conflict taking place in Pantelhó; for this reason, the Diocese to which he belonged transferred him to the parish of Guadalupe in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, in order to protect him.
However, the priest, who was also a defender of indigenous peoples, continued his process of denunciation and mediation for the benefit of peace in Chiapas, an entity afflicted by armed conflict for three years. In the face of such an increase in violence in the region, Pérez continued to participate in the activities seeking peace. During the last interview that the priest gave, on September 13, he said that “Chiapas is a time bomb, there are many missing people, many kidnapped… Many murdered by the presence of organized crime,” while emphasizing that the three dioceses joined together to “demand peace.”
Bishops of Mexico
The Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) made public “its strongest condemnation and profound sorrow at the brutal murder of Father Marcelo Pérez.”
The bishops said that the act of violence not only “deprives the community of a dedicated pastor, but also silences a prophetic voice that tirelessly fought for peace with truth and justice in the region of Chiapas”; therefore, the CEM urged the authorities at different levels to carry out an “exhaustive and transparent investigation that leads to the clarification of this crime.”
They also requested the implementation of effective measures to guarantee the safety of priests and demanded that "efforts be redoubled to combat the violence and impunity" that afflicts the region.
The development of homicide
The Attorney General's Office of the State of Chiapas issued a statement on Sunday in which they asserted that they began "investigations in accordance with protocol against whoever is responsible for the crime of homicide against Father Marcelo 'N' that occurred in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas."
The judicial entity also reported that, after the report of gunshots, they went to Las Peras Street where "they found a white Ford Titanium pickup truck, with license plates from the state of Chiapas and inside a lifeless male person who responded to the name of Marcelo 'N', priest of the parish of Cuxtitali."
“According to preliminary data and initial investigations, Father Marcelo was leaving the aforementioned parish after celebrating mass and was heading to the Guadalupe church when two people on a motorcycle fired at the aforementioned vehicle,” the prosecutor’s office said in the statement, reiterating its “firm commitment to guarantee the rule of law and to ensure that no illegal action goes unpunished.”
In response to the violent incident, the Secretary of the Interior and former Secretary of Security, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, expressed her regret for “the events in which Father Marcelo Pérez Pérez lost his life” and sent her message of solidarity with the Catholic community through her X account (Twitter).
Rise of violence in the state
Since July 2021, violence in the state of Chiapas has resurged with greater force, following the emergence of movements that have been called “self-defense groups,” including El Machete and the Indigenous Civil Army, which are in conflict with each other and with other irregular armed groups. However, the murder of the priest appears to be attributed to another criminal group that dominates the region.
Following the creation of El Machete, numerous families of the Tsotsil ethnic group were displaced by the environment of violence, in which shootings between opposing groups were recorded. According to the Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Human Rights Center, “from 2010 to 2021, approximately 14,476 thousand displaced people have been registered in the state of Chiapas,” a phenomenon of forced displacement that, it said, is a consequence “of the actions of illegal armed groups.”
“Due to the current nature of the displacements, we consider it a form of torture, since the population is constantly under siege, they are instilled with fear, terror, physical and mental suffering, with the aim of controlling the territory and taking it over. The population as a whole experiences daily violence,” said the center for social and comprehensive defense.
Source: Vatican News Spanish Ed. and CEM
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