As religious leaders face targeted killings, a new report reports that violence against Christians has peaked in Mexico. Hundreds of Catholics have faced extortion and threats in the last 6 years. The report, produced by the Catholic Multimedia Centre (CCM), says that 900 members associated with the Roman Catholic Church’s ministries faced extortion or threats between 2018 and 2024.
Guillermo Gazanini Espinoza, Head of Information at CCM, and Father Sergio Omar Sotelo Aguilar, also state that 26 religious buildings were attacked. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was in office from 2018-2024, and during his term 10 Roman Catholic priests and a student were slain. A total of 14 priests and bishops survived serious attacks. Under President Claudia Sheinbaum, who was elected in October, one priest has already been murdered by cartels.
“Like never before in the history of Mexico, violence has reached its peak,” CCM reports. They went on to state that “In one way or another, we have witnessed or, worse still, been shocked by the horror of violence, which in certain regions and cities, has reached the point of totally destabilizing aspects of economic life, social life, and the social and economic system.”
Anna Lee Stangl, Director of Advocacy at Christian Solidarity Worldwide, said the report presents a “deep concern.” She went on to add that “The CCM has been documenting this trend for almost 35 years and it is of deep concern that attacks on priests and religious leaders spiked and have remained steadily high over the past three presidential administrations, with no real sign of improvement.”
Stangl continues: We stand in solidarity with the CCM in calling for the international community, in collaboration with the Mexican government, to effectively address the various factors, including impunity, corruption, and the proliferation of violent organized criminal groups …that have made Mexico one of the most dangerous countries in the world to work as a Catholic priest.”
Pablo Vargas, national director of Impulso18, gave his thoughts as well. He went on to explain that “Religious leaders… are often identified by organized criminal groups as problems to be silenced or eliminated altogether.” He said that it was “no surprise” that violence was up. He also implored President Sheinbaum, the first Jewish President of Mexico, to take action.
The U.S. Department of State is offering $15 million for information leading to the arrest of the leader of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, or the CJNG Cartel. Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes also goes by the name “El Mencho.” According to the DEA, he is the head of one of the 5 most dangerous organized crime networks in the world.
The report stressed that these attacks are not collateral damage but deliberate violence. Fr. Marcelo Pérez Pérez, who was assassinated in October, was a target for his human rights advocacy. The priest had faced a long period of threat, persecution, and harassment according to the Diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas. In a statement after the murder of Pérez they said “Even knowing that his life was in danger, he lived a profound faith in God and a great love for the people that took him to the ultimate consequences.”