Pastors and Priests murdered at their churches in Mexico
According to the published report, A Roman Catholic Priest, an evangelical pastor in Mexico were killed and another pastor was kidnapped in this month.
As per Catholic Multimedia Center (CCM), In Matamoros, Tamaulipas state, Rev. Jose Martin Guzman Vega aged 55 was a priest for the Cristo Parish Church in San Adelaida area. On August 22, around 10PM at night, priest was stabbed several times inside his parish building , citing neighbors who heard cries.
Its been a total of 27 pastors along with him that were killed in Mexico since 2012. As the pastors and priests are opposing the usage of drugs or illegal substances and delivering many people from their drug addiction, the drug rings are targeting both protestants and catholic pastors and priests in recent years.
On August 18, 2019, Mexico’s Oaxaca state evangelical pastor Alfrery Líctor Cruz Canseco was shot to death in Tlalixtac de Cabrera just after he completed church service at Fraternidad Cristiana (Christian Brotherhood) church.
A drug ring called the Cartel of Oaxaca issued threats on social media to carry out more executions in southern Mexico. Officials report more than 180 assassinations in the Oaxaca’s southeastern isthmus area so far this year.
On August 3, 2019, at Tamaulipas, pastor Aaron Méndez Ruíz, who looks after a shelter for refugees, was kidnapped while interfered in a drug ring’s efforts to kidnap Cuban immigrants, workers told Spanish news agency.
Mexico ranks 39th place on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2019 World Watch List of the 50 countries where Christians experience the most persecution. But the persecution increased to peak state this year as per reports.
International Religious Freedom’s Annual report in 2017 by U.S. Commission also noted that, organized crime gangs are targeting Catholic Priests and pastors with threats, extortion and executions.
