Concern and sympathy following the murder of Catholic priest Father Marcelo Pérez Pérez in Chiapas, Mexico
An activist for Indigenous peoples and farm laborers in southern Mexico, Catholic priest Father Marcelo Pérez Pérez was assassinated on Sunday, October 20, 2024, in San Cristobal de Las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico. Father Pérez was shot and killed by two men on a motorcycle after he celebrated mass at a church in the Cuxtitali neighborhood and was driving back to his assigned parish church in Guadalupe to say mass there.
Father Pérez was known as a tireless apostle of peace. He was a member of the Tzotzil Indigenous people and served the community for two decades. He often served as a conflict negotiator in a mountainous region of Chiapas where crime, violence, and land disputes were frequent. Father Pérez risked his personal safety in his work toward justice and peace, receiving threats, persecution, harassment, defamation, and arrest warrants.
Global Ministries has collaborated with the Diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas, supporting the church’s work for justice and peace. Our connections in Mexico and Chiapas specifically include Mission Co-worker Elena Huegel, who serves with the Intercultural Research and Studies Institute (INESIN). INESIN promotes interreligious and intercultural dialogue encounters through projects focusing on the prevention of domestic violence, positive conflict transformation, migration, personal spiritual growth, Biblical translation, and strengthening Chiapanecan communities. In addition to INESIN, Global Ministries partners in Chiapas include Melel Xojobal and The International Service for Peace (SiPaz!).
The International Service for Peace (SIPAZ), a Global Ministries partner in Chiapas, wrote, “As SIPAZ, we have coincided on multiple occasions with Father Marcelo in recent years due to his key work in the defense of human rights, land, and territory and his pastoral accompaniment in peace and reconciliation processes. His commitment to the most vulnerable was undeniable.”
Global Ministries Co-executives Rev. Dr. LaMarco Cable and Rev. Shari Prestemon have sent a letter of support to the diocese, stating, “We stand in solidarity with the Diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas and the community of faith in Chiapas, who invite us to heed Christ’s call and join together in the hard work of cultivating hope and putting faith into action. Our commitment to justice and peace remains unwavering.” Read the full letter here.
Michael Joseph, transitional Global Ministries Global Relations Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean, shared, “We are deeply concerned about the courageous Mayan communities in Chiapas, from whom we have learned so much, and whom we have accompanied in their fight for justice and peace for close to forty years. The murder of Father Marcelo calls us to increase our awareness of the militarization of Mexico’s southern border, often at the behest of the United States, and call for a change in U.S. policies. May this be a time of mourning but also of deep listening to our Mayan sisters and brothers in Chiapas as they discern the way forward. May we have the courage to walk with them.”