After stating that the “customs” and “traditions” that persist “deep within Mexico” have “inhibited drug consumption” in the country, López Obrador stressed that “trafficking is one thing and consumption is another. The problem that our brothers in the United States, our American friends, have is consumption, which is why 100,000 young people lose their lives every year from consuming fentanyl.”
The president of Mexico reiterated that in his government “we see as a good thing” the dialogues sought by the Catholic Church but asked that “agreements that mean granting impunity, privileges, licenses to steal” not be made.
“But whoever wants to leave that hell ... whoever wants to get out of that can do so,” he said.
Drug violence affects the Catholic Church
Bishop González said violence in his area has directly affected members of the Catholic Church: “They’ve killed leaders of nocturnal adoration, they’ve killed the parents of altar servers.”
In October 2023, Father Velázquez Florencio was shot at by assailants because of his human rights work while traveling on the highway that connects the towns of Tixtla and Chilpancingo in Guerrero state.
The bishop of Chilpancingo-Chilapa lamented that it seems that the authorities “have left” the population at the mercy of the violence. “We believe that the government has the solution and we would also like it not to be corrupted ... they have power, they have the resources, they have the means.”
Despite being unsuccessful in their attempts to dialogue with criminal organizations, González assured that “attempts by the Catholic Church to achieve peace will continue.”
“We will have to continue with strategies to reach their hearts, to change the mentality [of the criminals],” the prelate said.
To that end, he urged the faithful to offer God prayer, fasting, and works of mercy for the conversion of criminals, trusting that these actions can “move minds and hearts.”
“As a Church [we are called] not to be indifferent to what is happening, not to close our eyes, our ears, not to keep quiet” and to be “with the poorest, with those most harmed, with the victims of violence; because there’s a lot of pain,” he said.
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This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Diego López Colín is a graduate of the Carlos Septién García School of Journalism (Mexico). He has been a correspondent for ACI Prensa in Mexico since 2023.
Graduated in Communication Sciences from the Universidad Privada del Norte in Trujillo, Peru. I have been part of the ACI Prensa team for more than 10 years. I have covered Pope Francis' trips to Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Peru. I covered the beatification ceremony of today's Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero in San Salvador, El Salvador, in 2015. Special envoy for investigation in Honduras in 2016. Head of the ACI Prensa Office in Mexico since 2018.