The Mexican Catholic Church condemned the murder of eight young people from a Catholic group that occurred on Sunday, March 16, in the municipality of Salamanca, Guanajuato. The young people belonged to the San José Mendoza Parish in Salamanca and were killed in an armed attack, according to information from the Archdiocese of Mexico on its website, Desde la fe.
The tragic incident took place when the young people were at a multipurpose court located near the church, and a group of armed men arrived and opened fire indiscriminately, leaving five injured. More than 50 casings from long guns were found at the scene of the armed attack, and bullet impacts were discovered on the facade of the church.
In Guanajuato, since 2018, there has been a rise in violence, making it the sixth most populous state in Mexico but also the one with the highest number of homicides in the country. According to local authorities, nine out of ten homicides have some link to organized crime in the region.
The Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice determined that of the 50 most violent cities in the world, 20 are located in Mexico. In 2024, the country closed with a total of 30,057 intentional homicides, representing a year-on-year increase of 1.2%. During the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024), more than 196,000 murders were registered, and the current government of President Claudia Sheinbaum has faced the challenge of addressing this situation since the beginning of her term on October 1, 2024.
