Jorge Serrano Limón, prominent pro-life leader in Mexico, dies

Jorge Serrano Limón, a prominent pro-life leader and key figure in the defense of life and human dignity in Mexico, died at the age of 71 on January 23.

According to the website of 40 Days for Life in Ibero-America, Serrano Limón was born in Mexico City in 1953. In 1978 he founded the National Pro-Life Committee, initially assuming the position of treasurer and, in 1987, the presidency of the organization. During his leadership, Provida adopted the motto “If you want peace, defend life,” which marked its campaigns and projects in defense of the unborn and vulnerable mothers.

His work transcended the borders of Mexico, advocating for international policies with a family perspective.

In 1989, she collaborated in the founding of the Women’s Aid Center (CAM), which currently has 70 offices in Mexico and 130 more in other Latin American countries. According to their websitehave treated more than 300,000 women, “of which we are certain that 80% gave up the idea of ​​having an abortion.”

In 2004, Serrano Limón faced accusations of allegedly diverting nearly 25 million pesos (around 1.2 million US dollars) supposedly coming from public resources, leading to him being imprisoned by the authorities.

In one interview with the Spanish portal Actuall in 2018, Serrano Limón totally rejected the accusations: “There is not a single detour. Not a single cent in my account. Everything was applied as it had to be applied.”

Although “many people, especially pro-abortion groups, wanted to see me in jail,” he said, “there was nothing, they had nowhere to go. “I always had confidence that everything was going to turn out well.”

Finally, after 14 years of judicial struggles, the Mexican justice system exonerated him of the accusations, confirming his innocence.

A legacy to remember

Rodrigo Iván Cortés, president of the National Front for the Family, described it in a Facebook post as an example of “a fighter against the evil that is abortion, so that good prevails, which is the life that God gave us.”

“I am sure that those hundreds of thousands of children who were saved by the collective effort that he led will intercede for him. Many will receive him in heaven and we will also ask for the comfort of his widow, of his entire family, but we are certain that he was a man of God,” Cortés assured.

For his part, Marcial Padilla, director of the Mexican platform ConParticipación, he remembered it as “a titan of love for the life of the unborn and pregnant mothers.” He stressed that, although Serrano Limón “suffered a lot for them. “He always had a smile, he was kind to everyone.”

“God, give that huge hug that you give to your friends who saw you in the poor and helpless way,” Padilla published on his social networks.

Father Andrés Esteban López Ruiz, member of the College of Exorcists of the Primate Archdiocese of Mexico and close friend of Serrano Limón, expressed his gratitude and admiration for being an “apostle of life.”

“You served so many vulnerable women, your faith enlightened many, you gave a brave testimony in politics, you endured humiliation, persecution, even prison,” she said.

“Your Marian piety and your Eucharistic devotion inspired many, as well as your advice, your determination and your simplicity marked with character and solidity.”