Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
San Cristóbal de Las Casas (Agenzia Fides) - The Catholic community of Chiapas shares in these hours pain and prayers after the murder of an indigenous priest parish priest in the Cuxtitali neighborhood of San Cristobal de las Casas. The attack on Father Marcelo Pérez Pérez, as the victim was called, occurred on his way back from the parish of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, in San Cristobal de las Casas, where he had celebrated mass. According to the ongoing investigation, two armed men on motorcycles approached the car in which Father Marcelo was sitting and shot him on Sunday morning, October 20.
Known for his work for justice and peace in the region's indigenous communities and as a mediator in conflicts in areas such as Pantelhó, where violence and insecurity have increased significantly and armed groups have long fought for control of the territory, the priest had received a number of death threats over the years, including for his actions and denunciations of the actions of armed groups in the region.
Due to the constant threats, the diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas had decided to transfer him from the municipality of Simojovel to the parish of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. "Chiapas is a time bomb, many people have disappeared, been kidnapped and killed by organized crime," he said in an interview last September 13 during a peace rally attended by parishioners from the three dioceses of Chiapas. In August 2024, he confirmed that a bounty of one million pesos (almost 50,000 euros) had been placed on his life in Simojovel, but that he would continue his peace process under the protection of God. "I have a divine mandate," he told the newspaper "El Sol de México" on August 2, 2024. The son of peasant parents, he was born in the municipality of Chichelalhó, in San Andrés Larráinzar (Chiapas). He attended the seminary, was ordained a priest on April 6, 2002, and began his ecclesiastical work as a parish priest in Chenalhó, where he had contact with the survivors of the Acteal massacre in 1997. He worked as a human rights activist for decades and lived in Simojovel for more than 10 years. He coordinated the Social Pastoral Care of the province of Chiapas, which includes the dioceses of the municipalities of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Tapachula and Tuxtla Gutiérrez, and supported indigenous religious organizations and groups, led pilgrimages and initiated activities on health, poverty and violence in Simojovel. After being a priest for 10 years as parish priest in Chenalhó and 10 years in Simojovel, he was responsible for the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe for more than two years.
In 2010 he was awarded the "Per Anger 2020" prize, which is given to people and organizations that work for human rights and democracy. Meanwhile, the Bishop Emeritus of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel, expressed his deep sadness and recalled that Father Marcelo was one of the first indigenous priests from the Tsotsile ethnic group that he ordained. "He always worked for justice and peace among the indigenous peoples, especially in Simojovel, and accompanied the victims of internal violence in Pantelhó," said Cardinal Esquivel. According to the Cardinal, the priest never engaged in party politics, but always fought for respect and justice between communities: "He fought for the values of the Kingdom of God to come alive in the communities. The values of truth and life, holiness and grace, justice, love and peace." "Father Marcelo Pérez was a living example of priestly commitment to the neediest and weakest in society. His pastoral work, which was characterized by his closeness to the people and his constant support for those most in need, leaves a legacy of love and service that will remain in the hearts of all those he touched through his ministry," said the Mexican Bishops' Conference in a communiqué on the priest's violent death, signed by its President Rogelio Cabrera López and its Secretary General Ramón Castro Castro.
"The murder of Father Marcelo not only deprives the community of a pastor who was committed to his people, but also silences a prophetic voice that fought tirelessly for peace, truth and justice in the Chiapas region. Marcelo Pérez was a living example of priestly commitment to the neediest and weakest in society," said the Bishops' Conference. The bishops are calling on the authorities to "conduct a comprehensive and transparent investigation that will lead to clarifying this crime and bring justice to Father Marcelo Pérez," and "to take effective measures to ensure the safety of priests and pastoral workers" and "to redouble their efforts in the fight against violence and impunity that plague the Chiapas region" and the country in general.
Meanwhile, the Chiapas State Attorney's Office is investigating the murder.
The Mexican Secretariat for Security and Protection of Citizens sent a message of "solidarity with the Catholic community and the commitment of the Mexican government that there will be no impunity." (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 21/10/2024)
