Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Mexico City (Agenzia Fides) - "We recognize their dedication and sacrifice and we pay tribute to them for the noble work carried out with courage". This is what we read in a statement from the Mexican episcopate, the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious of Mexico, the Mexican Province of the Society of Jesus and the Episcopal Dimension of the Laity. The statement refers to the brutal murder of the two catechists, of the Triquí ethnicity, who were killed last June 15 while on their way to a Eucharistic procession in the state of Oaxaca. The Triquí are an indigenous people living in the northwest of the state of Oaxaca, the scene of violent clashes between armed groups. "Every loss of human life is a tragedy that saddens us deeply, but also makes us reflect on the importance of working together for good and peace", reads the note from the episcopate. According to the weekly Desde la Fe, of the Archdiocese of Mexico, Gertrudis Cruz de Jesús and Gliserina Cruz Merino, the catechists of the parish of San Juan Bautista Copala, in the diocese of Huajuapan de León, were killed by armed men. The Oaxaca state attorney general's office said the young women were in a military vehicle for security reasons and to "protect their movement" when they were ambushed in the Cruz Chiquita area, belonging to Yosoyuxi, Copala, Santiago Juxtlahuaca. The violent attack took place just three days before the Mexican Church gathered to pray for the victims of violence, missing persons and for peace throughout the country. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 19/6/2023)
