Argentina: Molotov cocktail thrown and drug threat in Padre Ignacio parish

The Nativity of the Lord parish, in the city of Rosario (Argentina), was the target of an attack this Saturday, when a Molotov cocktail was thrown with a threat linked to a prisoner for drug trafficking.

This is the parish run by Father Ignacio Peries, well known in Argentina for his “healing” Masses attended by crowds. Along with the explosive, a note requested the release of Marcelo “Frentudo” Fernández, arrested last Thursday for allegedly being linked to drug trafficking.

The city of Rosario, in the Argentine province of Santa Fe, has gone through difficult times due to the violence generated by the strong presence of drug trafficking gangs. At the beginning of 2024, the escalation of violence caused the suspension of activities in the city, in a climate of fear of numerous murders.

Last March, Pope Francis expressed his closeness with a letter in which he called on the different sectors to “be a peaceful and inspiring response” to the growing tension.

The figures indicate that in recent months, the situation has been contained. According to the Public Security Observatorywhere the Ministry of Justice and Security of Santa Fe and the Public Prosecutor’s Office work together, in the first eight months of 2024, 122 homicides were recorded in the province, 56% less than the same period in 2023.

This new violent incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, while the parish was closed, so there were no injuries, but only material damage to the floor, the fence and the walls of the temple.

As a result of what happened, prosecutor Pablo Socca, from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, sent a brigade from the Investigative Police to collect evidence.

According to the portal All Newsthe first data indicate that two people arrived in a vehicle near the temple and carried out the attack, and then fled the scene.

The note they left demands the release of Marcelo Fernández, considered one of the leaders of the micro-drug trafficking organizations, who was arrested during operations carried out last Thursday in the Parque Casas neighborhood and in the town of Capitán Bermúdez.