Gunmen in Mexico have shot dead Father Marcelo Pérez, a Catholic priest known for his outspoken advocacy of indigenous rights and condemnation of violence in his community.
The priest was killed on Sunday in Chiapas, shortly after celebrating Mass, according to the state prosecutor’s office.
Father Marcelo, a member of the Tzotzil indigenous group, had spent nearly two decades fighting for the rights of his people.
The Jesuit Order, of which he was part, stressed that his murder should not be seen as an “isolated case” but rather as part of the broader wave of violence unleashed by organized crime in the region.
“Father Marcelo has been a symbol of resistance and support in Chiapas, defending the dignity, the rights of the people, and the construction of an authentic peace,” the Jesuit Order said.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pledged that the murder would be thoroughly investigated, promising that it “would not go unpunished.”
Meanwhile, Mexico’s bishops’ conference described Father Marcelo as one of the “prophetic voices” that had championed peace, lamenting that “justice in Chiapas had been silenced.”
Father Marcelo was shot by two men on a motorcycle while driving through San Cristóbal de Las Casas, after returning from Mass in the Cuxtitali neighborhood. He had recently been transferred to the city after receiving death threats in his previous rural parish.
The priest had been attempting to mediate peace in the violent conflict between a criminal gang and a vigilante group.
Just last month, Father Marcelo warned of the dangerous situation in Chiapas, describing it as “a time bomb” during a protest march he called a “pilgrimage.”
He spoke out about the many kidnappings, disappearances, and murders linked to organized crime.
Chiapas has seen a significant rise in violence recently, as the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels vie for control of the area, often targeting migrants traveling through the region to reach the U.S. border.
Local communities have been severely impacted, with residents sometimes forced to shelter in their homes for days due to the ongoing violence.
The assassination of Father Marcelo, a vocal human rights advocate, marks a troubling escalation of the violence that has been plaguing Chiapas for months.
Source-BBC
