Mexico

Two Jesuit Priests Killed Inside a Church In Northern Mexico

JUL 28 2022·Updated AUG 27

Story

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Facts

Javier Campos Morales and Joaquín César Mora Salazar, two elderly Jesuit priests, were killed on Mon. inside a church in Chihuahua, northern Mexico as gunmen reportedly hunted a man who sought refuge there.
Independent
The man seeking refuge inside the church, later identified as the tour guide Pedro Eliodoro Palma Gutiérrez, was also murdered.
wapo
A third priest was left alive but the gunmen refused his request to leave the bodies of the deceased priests.
FOX News
The church is located in Cerocahui, in the remote area of the Tarahumara mountains, which has been overrun with violence spilling over from the major drug-producing states of Sonora and Sinaloa.
guardian
Following the killings, the Mexican branch of the Society of Jesus demanded justice and the return of the bodies, which were taken by the gunmen. Seven priests have been slain since Dec. 2018.
CBS News
Pres. López Obrador declared on Tues. that authorities have information on the suspects, stressing the presence of organized crime in the area.
wapo

Sources Split

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The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

López Obrador has failed to tackle corruption and violence. He has spent all of his time verbally assaulting his political foes and building a new national military police force while violence has been surging across Mexico.

Forbes

Pro-establishment narrative

López Obrador has taken vital actions to assist the displaced and deploy troops to restore order in towns overtaken by the cartels. He did this while fully recognizing the humanitarian crisis created by drug cartel violence.