Reports have it that a 33 year old old Roman Catholic priest simply identified as Reverend Father Juan Miguel Garcia, has been murdered in the west central Mexican state of Jalisco.
He is recorded to be the second priest to be killed within four days in the country.
According to a statement from the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, the Roman Catholic Priest was performing the sacrament of penance when he was attacked by armed assailants at a parish in Tlajomulco de Zuniga, on the outskirts of Guadalajara.
The attack which took place on Friday, the 20th of April, took place immediately after the celebration of Holy Mass.
It was the latest in a series of attacks against priests in Mexico. It was recalled that another Roman Catholic Priest, Father Ruben Alcantara Diaz was attacked on the 18th of April, right before an evening Mass at Our Lady of Carmen Parish in Cuautitlan Izcalli.
On Saturday, the bishops launched an urgent appeal for a culture of peace and reconciliation. According to the statement they released,
“These deplorable events call each of us to a deep and sincere conversion. We ask competent authorities to shed light on this dramatic event and to take action according to the laws of justice.”
The bishops also appealed to the killers to ‘not only to lay down their arms’ but also to reject ‘hatred, resentment, vengeance and all destructive sentiments’.
Just recently, murderous attacks on clergy have become common in Mexico, a country that reached a historically high level of homicides last year.
According to the Roman Catholic Multimedia Center, 22 priests have been killed in Mexico since 2012, when the six-year administration of President Enrique Pena Nieto began.
