In an interview with media outlets, the bishop of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Rodrigo Aguilar Martínez, stated that they are "willing to forgive the aggressors, the murderers, and those who sent them, but they should reflect." He also mentioned that so far there is no information regarding the capture of any responsible individuals, but he demanded that justice be served.
On the morning of this Monday, parishioners, human rights defenders, members of the Catholic Church, and community members participated in a mass for the priest tzotzil, Marcelo Pérez, who was murdered this Sunday in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas.
Wearing a white tunic, a black stole with colorful flowers, and the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, embroidered according to the tradition of the tzotzil people, the priest, "j’tatik" Marcelo Pérez, was honored inside his coffin in his hometown. In the main square, in front of the church of San Andrés Apóstol, a platform was erected from where the mass was officiated in the tzotzil language and Spanish; tributes were also paid.
People and priests from different dioceses in southern Mexico and from the rest of the country arrived at the location. During the event, Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel, Emeritus Bishop of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, led the funeral services. In this gathering, the attendees also took the opportunity to vocalize their demands for justice and to ensure that the murder of the priest does not go unpunished.
The Diocese of San Cristóbal pointed out this Sunday, following the homicide, that Father Marcelo Pérez had received threats due to his work as a promoter of reconciliation and peace processes in Chiapas, particularly in Pantelhó. The priest, head of the Guadalupe church in San Cristóbal de las Casas, was shot dead when he got into his vehicle after finishing a mass in the Cuxtitali neighborhood. Initial investigations point to the material authorship of two men on a motorcycle, who have still not been located.
