At his Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis offered a public prayer for Father Marcelo Pérez, a Mexican Jesuit priest murdered on October 20 after celebrating Mass in Chiapas, Mexico.
The Pope described him as “a zealous servant of the Gospel and God’s faithful people,” lamenting the loss and calling his sacrifice a “seed of peace and Christian life.”
Father Pérez was known for his advocacy for Indigenous rights and outspoken stance against organized crime. Following Sunday Mass, he was shot by two men on a motorcycle as he left the Cuxtitali church in San Cristóbal de las Casas, it was reported. His murder has sparked widespread mourning in the Catholic community.
Pérez had long faced threats for his peace efforts in Chiapas, a region grappling with cartel violence and criminal intimidation.
The Society of Jesus in Mexico released a statement mourning Pérez as “a symbol of resistance and accompaniment” for the people of Chiapas. The religious order noted the structural violence in the region, calling for “comprehensive and urgent response” from authorities.
Mexico’s human rights office condemned the murder as “absolutely unacceptable,” highliting the priest’s continued commitment to his ministry despite a “constant risk to his life and personal safety.”
Hundreds gathered at Pérez’s funeral, chanting, “Long live Father Marcelo, priest of the poor!,” reported CBS News.
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