Last Monday, a funeral mass was held in memory of the priest Marcelo Pérez, who will be buried in the courtyard of the San Andrés parish in San Andrés Larrainzar this Tuesday. During the ceremony, bishops Felipe Arizmendi and Rodrigo Aguilar honored Pérez's memory, who was murdered for denouncing injustice in the communities and opposing the violence of organized crime and the Mexican state.
"Father Marcelo was killed for being a prophet who always chose the poor," expressed companions of the priest. They emphasized that his murder is not an isolated case, but a crime against his commitment to the most disadvantaged and his work in defense of human rights in Chiapas and Mexico.
His followers highlighted that Marcelo Pérez was murdered for being a mediator, promoter, and builder of peace in the region. They also stressed the danger of denouncing in an environment where life is at risk, creating an atmosphere of fear and silence among the population.
In the mass, Archbishop Rodrigo Aguilar extended forgiveness to those who perpetrated the crime and urged them to reflect and change their lives. For his part, Felipe Arizmendi, who ordained Pérez as a priest more than two decades ago, lamented the serious situation of violence in Chiapas and Mexico, describing the country as being in a state of decomposition.
Arizmendi called on the authorities to dismantle armed groups and address the violence urgently, without relying on individual denunciations, in an attempt to restore peace and security in the region.
