Mexico is the most dangerous place to be a Catholic Priest: Lawlessness and drug cartels
Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
In many parts of the world you have war, religious persecution, failed states, international terrorist groups, and other negative realities. Yet, for Roman Catholic priests the most dangerous nation in the world is Mexico. This is based on drug cartels, the lack of rule of law, and the ineptitude of the government of Mexico that appears aloof to the endless crime epidemic.
The crisis facing Roman Catholic priests resembles the dangers that ordinary Mexicans face every day. However, it is surprising that in a mainly Roman Catholic nation that priests are not only being targeted by drug cartels – but equally alarming, the legal system is mainly inactive when it comes to convictions.
Hence, since late 2012, it is reported that 21 Roman Catholic priests have been murdered in Mexico. In other words, Mexico resembles a failed state where religious preachers from several faiths are butchered by ISIS (Islamic State – IS) and other Sunni Takfiri groups in Iraq, Pakistan, and Syria. Yet, Mexico isn’t a failed state to the extent of Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, and others, despite lawlessness and drug cartels hinting that Mexico isn’t fully functioning.
Equally disturbing, while it is known that Sunni Islamists hate Shia Muslims to the highest degree, followed by persecuting non-Muslims and enslaving Yazidi women, the nation of Mexico is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic. Also, while many Muslims in Pakistan have escaped the justice system after killing Christians, it is shocking that the legal system in Mexico is also failing Roman Catholic priests.
The Catholic Herald reports, “The Catholic Multimedia Centre counts 21 priests murdered since December 2012, with the cases overwhelmingly remaining unpunished. In Guerrero state alone, at least six priests have been killed since 2009, including Comboni Fr John Ssenyondo, a Ugandan missionary, whose body was pulled from a clandestine grave.”
Ironically, it is the mainly Roman Catholic nation of Mexico that is the most dangerous place to be a Roman Catholic priest. Shockingly, this even applies to the murderers escaping justice because of the inept justice system, embedded corruption, and the power of drug cartels.
Last year, Modern Tokyo Times said, “The nation of Mexico resembles a nation going through the trauma of a brutal civil war. Yet, the government of Mexico seems at a loss about tackling the ongoing crisis. Hence, in the first four months in Mexico this year, just over 8,700 murders have taken place. This is a remarkable statistic given the reality that no civil war exists in Mexico.”
Hence, the latest murder of two Roman Catholic priests in early 2018, is a reminder of the dangers that persist in Mexico because of government inaction and the power of drug cartels.
http://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2018/02/08/two-mexican-priests-shot-dead-in-ambush/
https://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/coe/mexico-still-most-dangerous-country-to-be-a-priest/
Modern Tokyo News is part of the Modern Tokyo Times group
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