He was one of the main promoters of dialogue and peace processes in the state. “Chiapas is a time bomb,” he had stated on September 13.
On the morning of this Sunday, the indigenous Tsotsil priest Marcelo Pérez Pérez was shot and killed while leaving a mass and walking through one of the streets of San Cristóbal de Las Casas.
In recent years, Marcelo Pérez had received death threats, constant defamation, and had an arrest warrant against him due to his work as a mediator in the conflict in the municipality of Pantelhó, where an armed group and a self-defense group have been in dispute since July 2021, the year violence erupted in this and other regions of Chiapas.
Due to these threats, the Diocese decided to transfer him from the parish of Simojovel, where he was, to the parish of Guadalupe in the city of San Cristóbal de Las Casas. From his new location, Marcelo Pérez continued working on peace processes and denouncing the situation in Chiapas.
“Chiapas is a time bomb, there are many disappeared, many kidnapped, many killed due to the presence of organized crime in Chiapas,” were his words during an interview on September 13, during a massive demonstration in the state capital by parishioners from the three Dioceses of Chiapas, demanding peace in Chiapas.
This morning, he had gone to the Cuxtitali neighborhood, where he officiated a mass requested by the local parishioners. Upon leaving, he was shot. There is still no statement from the Justice Prosecutor’s Office about the events.
Archbishop Rodrigo Aguilar confirmed the events, saying, “Let us pray and continue seeking peace with truth and justice.”
Source: Aristegui Noticias
