Mexico: Priest in charge of church-run migrant house assassinated

Violent incidents in Mexico are occurring in great numbers:

• 1 May 2022: The highest number of intentional homicides in 2022 was recorded on 1 May, with 112 murders being committed in a single day (Semana, 2 May 2022).
• 19 May 2022: The bodies of a Catholic priest and another person were found in Tecate, Baja California, showing signs of violence. The 58 year old priest had been in charge of the church-run home for migrants in Tecate since July 2021 (Agenzia Fides, 19 May 2022).
• 20 May 2022: A criminal group opened fire inside a church in the town of Fresnillo in Zacatecas State, killing a three year old boy (Aciprensa, 22 May 2022).

World Watch Research analyst Rossana Ramirez comments: “Criminal groups operate with impunity in many parts of the country; whoever engages in social programs which challenge the authority or interests of these criminal groups are particularly vulnerable to attack. The murder of the Catholic priest in Tecate is a worrying reminder of the dangers to which church leaders are exposed when helping migrants; such work potentially causes difficulties for human trafficking networks. The authorities should see this as an opportunity to investigate and punish those responsible in an exemplary manner, instead of hindering progress through ‘incompetence’ and ‘irresponsible hypotheses’, as the magazine Centro Católico Multimedial complained on 22 May 2022.”