Between shootings and desecration: Two churches suffered violence in the State of Mexico

Two Catholic churches were victims of violence in the State of Mexico last weekend. While one of the temples suffered a desecration of the Eucharist, the atrium of the other, the Basilica of Our Lady of Remedies, was the scene of a shooting that left a young woman dead.

“Serious desecration of the Blessed Sacrament”

During the early hours of December 15, the chapel of the Holy Family, in the parish of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe del Risco, in the Diocese of Ecatepec, municipality of Tlalnepantla de Baz, State of Mexico, suffered “a serious desecration of the Blessed Sacrament ”.

This was reported through a statement Mons. Luis Martínez Flores, Diocesan Administrator of Ecatepec, who reported that in the church “Jesus Sacramentado was stolen from the Tabernacle and was thrown nearby.”

In “an act of reparation and atonement for this sacrilegious act,” a Mass was celebrated in the affected temple, said Bishop Martínez Flores. In addition, he invited all the communities of the diocese to offer their December 16 Masses and “a moment of prayer” before Jesus Sacramented.

Bishop Martínez Flores called on Catholics committed to being “instruments of peace and justice in our families and in society” and urged the population to “value the Holy Eucharist” and to set an example for children, young people and adults about how to receive it with dignity.

Outside the Basilica of Our Lady of Remedies: Shooting and a death

In another unfortunate incident, in the Archdiocese of Tlalnepantla, also in the State of Mexico, a group of armed men shot at attendees outside the Basilica of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, in the municipality of Naucalpan.

As reported by the Archdiocese of Tlalnepantla in a statementaround 5:05 pm (local time) on Saturday, December 14, a “direct attack on a family” was recorded when they were leaving to participate in “a thanksgiving ceremony” in the Catholic church.

“A woman lost her life and there were also several injured,” said the Mexican archdiocese.

Mons. José Antonio Fernández Hurtado, Archbishop of Tlalnepantla, offered a prayer for “the eternal rest of the victim and for the speedy recovery of those who were injured.”

Likewise, he asked for “the conversion of those who do so much damage to our society, and above all we implore the gift of peace for our country and our world.”

In his statement, Bishop Fernández Hurtado rejected “all forms of violence and attacks against life,” placing special emphasis on violence “against women and families, everywhere, but above all, in this space of prayer, of fraternal meeting and hope.”

Finally, he asked that “our Churches be sanctuaries of life and peace.”

Violence in the State of Mexico

According to the report MX: The War in Numbers prepared by T-ResearchMXbetween 2018 and 2024 the State of Mexico recorded a total of 17,675 homicides, positioning itself as the second federal entity with the most violence in the country in that period.

Data obtained by the National Citizen Observatory, an organization that analyzes and disseminates information on high-impact crimes, indicate that the municipalities of Tlalnepantla and Naucalpan lead the statistics of various criminal categories in the State of Mexico.

From January to October of this year, these two municipalities occupied the second and third positions, respectively, in terms of wrongful homicides. In femicides, Tlalnepantla ranked fifth and Naucalpan ranked eighth. Furthermore, in the area of ​​robberies with violence, Naucalpan was second and Tlalnepantla was fourth.

Both municipalities also rank in the top 10 positions in other crime categories such as extortion, vehicle theft, home burglary, and business robbery.