Bishop encourages not losing hope after violence in Chihuahua, Mexico

After a violent day lived on May 15 in the Sierra de Chihuahua (Mexico), the Catholic Church called for breath and hope to the population, encouraging them not to give up or lose faith: “Fear does not have the last word”

According to local media, At least three armed clashes were reported by inhabitants of the municipality of Guachochi during the afternoon and night of Thursday. It was noted that the facts could be related to an attack on a house perpetrated by organized crime groups. However, so far, the authorities have not registered fatal victims or injured people.

In this context, Mons. Juan Manuel González Sandoval, Bishop of the Diocese of Tarahumara, shared a message Pastoral specially addressed to those who “feel the heart injured by the insecurity that surrounds us.”

“They are not alone. Jesus, who cried before the tomb of his friend Lázaro, is today, crying with us, walking with us,” the prelate recalled.

While he acknowledged that the “shootings that have presented themselves sowed fear, anguish and pain in our streets, homes and hearts,” insisted on the need to continue building peace “from below, from our families, our communities, our parishes.”

Violence in the region is not new. The Sierra Tarahumara, located in the north of the country, has been the scene of multiple violent episodes, being one of the most remembered the murder of the Jesuit priests Javier Campos and Joaquín Mora, which occurred on June 20, 2022.

It is a mountainous area of ​​great natural wealth, which makes it a strategic point for organized crime, which operates through illegal activities such as illegal felling and mining, as well as the crop of poppy that is used for drug realization.

Therefore, Mons. González Sandoval said that, although “the night seems dark, let’s not forget that we are children of light. Fear does not have the last word. God does not abandon his people.” He also added that hope is not a naive evasion, but “a firm decision to continue believing in the strength of good, truth and love.”

“As a shepherd of this Church of Tarahumara, I raise my voice to firmly repudiate all forms of violence. We cannot get used to living between bullets, accepting as normal what is contrary to human dignity,” the bishop encouraged.

The message He was backed For various ecclesial instances: the Mexican Episcopate Conference, the Conference of Senior Superiors of Religious and Societies of Apostolic Life of Mexico, and the Company of Jesus (Jesuits), which they demanded through a joint statement to the authorities an immediate and effective intervention, in order to “stop violence and allow generating a true exercise of the rule of law”.