Bishop Cristóbal Ascencio García of Apatzingán, Mexico, seated, looks on as Archbishop Franco Coppola, apostolic nuncio to Mexico, speaks to residents during a visit to Aguililla April 23, 2021. Ascencio has said that in politics, There s a struggle for power, a power that brings unjustifiable enrichment. (CNS/Reuters/Alan Ortega)
Mexico City The Mexican bishops conference has pledged to avoid promotion of any parties or candidates in the country s upcoming midterm elections. The bishops also issued a statement May 6 calling on citizens to vote and support candidates promoting the common good.
But at least one bishop in a diocese with drug-cartel conflicts has expressed dismay with the campaigns, saying the common good isn t being pursued by politicians in his corner of the country. He also warned of winning candidates entering potentially impossible situations in which organized crime wields control not the duly elected officials.
News Residents are fleeing cartel violence and crime, including death threats, extortion and being forced to serve as human shields.
Exodus from Aguililla: families flee death threats and extortion, head north Catholic Church issuing recommendation letters residents can use to seek asylum in US
Published on Thursday, April 29, 2021
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The Catholic Church is issuing letters of recommendation to residents of Aguililla, Michoacán, to support their future claims for asylum in the United States as they flee violence and crime in the embattled municipality.
Parish priest Gilberto Vergara said the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Aguililla where the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Cárteles Unidos are engaged in a bloody turf war that has intensified in recent months has issued 85 such letters this week, which serve as proof that residents’ lives are in danger due to the violence.
Nuncio assures besieged Mexican town of Church s support
Drug cartels have battled each other and blocked highways in Michoacán state
Updated: April 27, 2021 04:45 AM GMT
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Archbishop Franco Coppola (center) cheers residents in Aguililla, Mexico, on April 23. (Photo: AFP)
Archbishop Franco Coppola, papal ambassador to Mexico, recently traveled to a town besieged by warring drug cartels to reiterate the Church s commitment to serving populations suffering violence.
The ambassador, or nuncio, also wanted to raise awareness of the situation in Aguililla, a town in western Michoacán state, where drug cartels have battled each other and blocked highways, leaving residents unable to travel freely and causing shortages of everything from food to fuel.
The Tablet April 27, 2021
A bust of Christ hangs from a wall next to a bullet impact at an abandoned home near Aguililla, Mexico, April 23, 2021. Drug cartels have battled each other and blocked highways in the town, leaving residents unable to travel freely and causing shortages of everything from food to fuel. (Photo: CNS/Alan Ortega, Reuters)
By David Agren
MEXICO CITY (CNS) Archbishop Franco Coppola, papal ambassador to Mexico, recently traveled to a town besieged by warring drug cartels to reiterate the church’s commitment to serving populations suffering violence.
The ambassador, or nuncio, also wanted to raise awareness of the situation in Aguililla, a town in western Michoacán state, where drug cartels have battled each other and blocked highways, leaving residents unable to travel freely and causing shortages of everything from food to fuel.
Papal ambassador tells besieged Mexican town: The church is with you cruxnow.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cruxnow.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.