Mexico: Catechist dies at the hands of organized crime in Colima

The Catholic Church expressed its deep regret over the death of Florinda Orozco Calderón, a catechist who dedicated 19 years of her life to this service in the state of Colima, and who died at the “hands of organized crime.”

According to local media MeganoticiasOn December 3, the catechist was attacked in the municipality of Manzanillo by armed individuals traveling on a motorcycle. The attackers intercepted her and shot her several times before fleeing.

In a statementMons. Gerardo Díaz Vázquez, Bishop of Colima, remembered Florinda as a woman who lived an “exemplary conversion process,” of which her colleagues in catechetical ministry “bear witness to the faith she achieved thanks to her encounter with Christ.”

The bishop indicated that Florinda, 54 years old, was married and the mother of three children. In addition to his catechetical service in the San Francisco de Asís parish in Manzanillo, he also offered talks to the parents of children in the community, supporting families in their Christian education.

Bishop Díaz Vázquez addressed words of consolation to his family and religious community, assuring them “of our prayers so that Our Mother the Virgin of Guadalupe will comfort and protect them.”

Florinda’s murder occurs in a context of constant violence in Colima, a state that has topped the ranking of the 50 most violent cities in the world in 2002 and 2023, according to the Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice, which includes 16 other Mexican towns on its list.

In this context, Bishop Díaz Vázquez pointed out that “difficult times have been going on for several years now” and urged the population to intensify their prayers to “ask for Peace in our society, ask for the people who have chosen the path of evil and by our authorities so that together with society we can change this sad reality that we now live.”