By Kielce Gussie
On Oct 20, Fr Marcelo Pérez Pérez, parish priest of the Cuxtitali parish in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Mexico, was killed after celebrating Mass.
Sister María de los Dolores Palencia Gómez, a Mexican nun from the Congregation of Sisters of Saint Joseph and Delegate President of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod, spoke to Vatican News’ Renato Martinez about the assassination.
A priest for peace
At the opening of the synodal assembly on Oct 21, a prayer was offered for the late priest’s soul. Sr María said the Synod delegates expressed their solidarity with the universal Church and the Mexican people.
She described Fr Marcelo as a warrior of peace who tried to bring dialogue and justice to the poorest of the poor. A member of an indigenous tribe in Mexico, he had advocated for the rights of the Tzotzil community and spoke out against violence in the country.
Sr María called the priest’s murder a sign that there are people trying to create division in the communities.
Chiapas: a region marked by trafficking and poverty
Forced migration has led to a rise in the culture of violence in Mexico, particularly in the state of Chiapas—where Fr Marcelo was from.
Chiapas borders Guatemala , where there is a constant flow of migrants from South America, Asia, Africa, and European countries. Sr María stressed this migration is “not for tourism, relationships, or studies; it is migration driven by necessity,” and people arrive with numerous needs.
Chiapas is one of the states, Sr María explained, that faces “intense violence due to territorial struggles among the cartels that traffic drugs.” According to Insight Crime, a nongovernmental organization, Chiapas state is key for trafficking drugs, arms, and migrants towards the United States.
Sr María said the violence, rivalries, thefts, and kidnappings have led to internal migration and, “in some cases, divisions among communities, disputes, and distrust among brother peoples who have lived together for a long time.”
Raising awareness
The Mexican religious sister stressed the need for Fr Marcelo’s murder “to not go unpunished and that justice be served” and to ensure “that what is happening in these territories is not forgotten.”
His death is the most recent in the state this year. From January to August, there have been around 500 assassinations, an increase from last year’s number of 309.
