Mexico: They stop man who would have demanded money not to burn a church

The Attorney General of the State of Mexico (FGJEM) reported that arrested a man “indicated for his probable participation in the crime of extortion, since he would have demanded money in exchange for not setting a church” of the municipality of Tlalnepantla, in the State of Mexico.

According to a statement shared on March 4, the Prosecutor’s Office indicated that on February 23 the suspect “intercepted on the public road a pastor, before whom he would have held as a member of a criminal cell with origins in a region of Mexico City and presumably would have demanded money in exchange for not causing damage or set the religious temple.”

“Given the threats, the victim delivered an economic sum and denounced the facts before the Mexican Prosecutor’s Office”, which identified “this subject as possible involved in this crime,” the statement said.

After the complaint, the authorities obtained an arrest warrant. However, the man had already been arrested days before for the crime of robbery with violence. The authorities have asked people to have also been victims of this man, to denounce it.

The Archdiocese of Tlalnepantla has not yet pronounced about it.

Other extortion complaints

According to the Multimedial Catholic Center (CCM), an agency that records violence against church members in Mexico, its 2024 report Point out that “extortion and fraud against Catholic ministers are increasing.”

However, the agency acknowledged that there are no exact figures and that the complaints made have been public. Therefore, he urged the Mexican Episcopate Conference to articulate efforts to keep a precise record of these crimes and concentrate specific data on their forms and incidents.

“The figure related to economic losses is not known, nor what groups are dedicated to extortion and if it is organized crime bands; Nor is a figure or census of parishes known that have denounced the payment of the floor of the floor or the payment of group protection services against rival bands, ”says the report.

In 2022, the spokesman of the Archdiocese of Guadalajara, Fr. Antonio Gutiérrez Montaño, revealed that some temples paid organized crime so as not to expose the religious or the laity. The priest regretted that they have to reach these agreements with the criminal groups, since they are illegal.