Violence against Christians in Mexico has ‘reached its peak,’ report warns.
Violence against Christians in Mexico has reached its "peak" as religious leaders faced targeted killings and assaults while hundreds of Catholics faced threats and extortion in the last six years, according to a new report.
Nearly 900 members associated with the Roman Catholic Church's ministries faced extortion or threats between 2018 to 2024, reads the report released this week by the Catholic Multimedia Centre (CCM) and shared by the United Kingdom-based watchdog Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Meanwhile, 26 religious buildings were attacked during that time.
During former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's term (2018-2024), 10 Roman Catholic priests and a seminary student were murdered, the report adds, also noting that his term saw seven bishops and seven additional priests survive violent attacks. The murder of another priest occurred under the current President, Claudia Sheinbaum, who assumed office in October.
"Like never before in the history of Mexico, violence has reached its peak," the report states, according to a Google translation. "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."
CSW's Director of Advocacy Anna Lee Stangl said the report presents a "deep concern."
"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 said in a statement. CP.
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