The Catholic Jesuit community of Mexico denounced this Tuesday (21) the murder of two of its priests inside a church and demanded protection for other members of the group in a violent stretch of the north of the country.
Although priests are rarely victims of gang violence in Mexico, this activity is common in some parts of the country, especially near the northern border with the United States where cartels fight for lucrative smuggling routes.
“Amid so many deaths and crimes in the country, we publicly condemn this tragedy and demand an immediate investigation and security for the community and all priests in the country,” the group said in a statement.
The Chihuahua state prosecutor’s office said in a statement that it received a report on Monday that three people were killed in the village of Cerocahui after a man took refuge in a church to protect himself from an attack.
“They entered the church, chased a person and murdered him. Apparently, the priests left and were also killed,” President Andrés Manuel López Obrador explained to reporters on Tuesday during his morning press conference after being asked about the killings.
Lopez Obrador added that authorities are investigating the crime.
Source: CNN Brasil
