Church condemns the finding of embalmed bodies that had to be cremated in Mexico

Mons. José Guadalupe Torres Campos, Bishop of Ciudad Juárez in Mexico expressed his “firm outrage” in the face of at least 383 bodies embalmed in a building in the state of Chihuahua that operated as a crematorium, in unsafe conditions and without having been incinerated, as was his obligation.

The discovery occurred on Thursday, June 26, after a citizen complaint. Police elements went to a property in the Granjas Pole Gamboa neighborhood in Ciudad Juárez, where they confirmed the presence of numerous bodies. When processing the scene, the authorities identified the site as an establishment for the cremation of human remains.

As reported The Attorney General of the State of Chihuahua on July 2, many of the bodies that “should have been cremated” were embalmed and stored for years. The place was identified as a fullness crematorium, which provided services to six funerals of the region.

“The bodies that were delivered by funeral home to the company were returned in five or six days, in Cofrecito and ashes and this prevented there being some suspicion about the service situation,” he said in a press conference.

Prosecutor César Jáuregui described the fact as a “unpublished and very serious” case and assured that a “comprehensive investigation will be carried out, in order to achieve full identification the identification of the bodies”.

Of the localized bodies, 218 correspond to men, 149 to women and 16 bodies have not been determined. Among them, “there are apparently four minors.” The authorities are already contacting relatives who, in recent years, requested cremation services in linked funeral home, with the aim of identifying the victims.

In addition, it was reported that the owner and crematorium employee were arrested and linked to the process for crimes related to improper handling of human remains.

The Catholic Church asks for “respect for memory” of those who lost their lives

In its statement Of this July 3, Mons. Torres Campos said that “fact shakes us in the deepest as a society and as believers in the sacred dignity of all human life.”

“We cannot get used to horror and look the other way when life is treated with contempt. These acts cry out to heaven for justice, truth and respect for the memory of those who have left this life,” said the prelate.

To families who still look for their loved ones and those who live with the uncertainty of not having properly received the remains of their relatives, the bishop told them that “the Church is with you.” “They are not alone. We share their suffering and raise our voice to clarify this situation as soon as possible,” he added.

Mons. Torres Campos also made an urgent call to the authorities “so that this fact is not in impunity” and urged the authorities to carry out all investigations “with transparency, diligence and respect for the truth, and that justice is done for each of the victims and their loved ones.”

Finally, he urged the community to “not lose hope, to sustain each other and continue working for a society in which life is respected, the truth is valued and peace prevails,” and implored God “his comfort for the afflicted, his light for those who seek answers.”