Protests after priest murdered in cartel-ravaged southern Mexico

‘The Church will not shut up. It will not stop denouncing evil,’ said Fr José Filiberto Velázquez of the Minerva Bello Centre for victims of violence.

More than 400 people joined a Church-led “caravan of peace and justice” on Saturday in a demonstration following the murder of a priest in southern Mexico.

The cavalcade of 100 vehicles was draped with flags depicting Fr Bertoldo Pantaleón, a priest killed in the state of Guerrero, 200 miles south of Mexico City.

He was found near his truck with bullet holes in his neck on 6 October, after disappearing two days earlier on a journey to celebrate a Mass. The 58-year-old priest had served the parish of San Cristóbal in Mezcala since 2018. In a video released a year later, he revealed that his family had initially opposed his vocation.

Local authorities arrested a man they described as a “co-participant” in the murder. Initially reported to be Fr Pantaleón’s driver, “Miguel Ángel N” was described by sources as a “friend” of the murdered priest, according to the Spanish daily El País.

The protest on 11 October took place in Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero, a state ravaged by drug-cartel violence. The cavalcade was organised by the Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa and the National Dialogue for Peace group.

The lead vehicle contained a wooden cross and a statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Four priests led the protesters – who all wore white – in prayers and songs broadcast through megaphones.

Fr José Filiberto Velázquez of the Minerva Bello Centre for victims of violence said: “The Church will not shut up. It will not stop denouncing evil.” He described the caravan as a symbol of unity with the region “because if this has affected the Church it can affect anybody”.

Fr Juan Daniel Juárez Nava told the news agency EFE: “As a Church we will never tolerate an act of violence and injustice against anybody and we will always raise our voice. The death of Fr Bertoldo will not be in vain. We are committed to seeking peace.”

The Mexican Bishops’ Conference issued a statement denouncing the murder. “We note with sadness and pain that acts of violence have once again plunged our Catholic community into mourning,” it said.

“As pastors of the People of God, we raise our voices to remind everyone that no form of violence can have a place in a society that honours life and seeks goodness, truth, and peace for all its citizens.”

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