AMERICA/MEXICO - The Church is close to the population of the city besieged by criminal violence

Thursday, 29 April 2021 human rights   nunciatures   drugs   criminality  

Mexico City (Agenzia Fides) - The Catholic Church in Mexico will make all its resources and structures available for aid programs to promote human life. This was emphasized by the Apostolic Nuncio in Mexico, Archbishop Franco Coppola, during a visit to the city of Aguililla, which suffers from the effects of conflicts between competing drug cartels. In Aguililla, a city in the western state of Michoacán, the competition between criminal organizations leads to widespread violence, which mainly affects the civilian population. The competing gangs have blocked motorways, among other things, preventing residents from moving freely and causing shortages of everything from food to fuel. "The Church does not get involved in the war, but it can take care of the wounded and victims. My visit should give people the feeling that the church is close to them: they are not alone and are not left alone", said the Nuncio, who led a procession in Aguililla and celebrated a holy mass on April 23rd. The gang war has become increasingly violent and is accompanied by terrible events such as arbitrary executions and bitter clashes with the police. The situation in Aguililla has worsened so much that, according to Mexican media reports, more than 1,500 people have fled the region. According to the Apostolic Nuncio, the Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is said to have asked in a letter to Pope Francis for help in the "fight against crime and violence in Mexico". (Agenzia Fides, 29/4/2021)


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