“Enough of so much violence, so much bloodshed, so much impunity, so much indifference, so much ineffectiveness!” Bishop Ramón Castro Castro cried out during the eleventh March for Peace in Morelos. From the heart of Cuernavaca, he denounced the deep infiltration of organized crime into public life and the normalization of criminal practices that now even reach institutions. He clarified that the mobilization was not against the authorities, but rather a firm demand that they fulfill their duty and act in response to the crisis.
The day of protest began with a Mass at the Church of Tlaltenango. From there, hundreds of people marched to the Cuernavaca Cathedral, dressed in white, carrying flowers and banners with messages demanding peace, justice, and security. In a symbolic act, the bishop presented a bouquet of white flowers to searching mothers: “I give you these flowers with my prayer, with affection, and with the hope that you do not feel alone in your search,” he expressed.
Halfway through the tour, at the Calvary Spire, Castro announced the installation of the Peace Mailbox, a space where anyone can anonymously leave information about missing persons. “We want it to be a tool of hope, a bridge between silence and truth,” he explained.
Bishop Denounces Infiltration of Crime
At the Cathedral, before his message, a community prayer was held. Afterward, the bishop—who also presides over the Mexican Episcopal Conference—delivered a speech in which he warned about the seriousness of the criminal phenomenon, which, he asserted, has overwhelmed institutions: “Organized crime has infiltrated so much that it’s almost impossible not to encounter it. It doesn’t matter what you do: you encounter it on the street, in your business, even in your own family.”
He revealed that some public officials must operate with the authorization of criminal groups: “Although no one says it openly, they know they have to ask drug traffickers’ permission to open streets, evict merchants, hold cultural events, or install security cameras.” He added: “Contact with drug lords has become so commonplace that it’s no longer seen as a problem. It’s ‘normal,’ part of what happens at some levels of government.”
He pointed out that, in some cases, even entering public service requires a willingness to “negotiate with the mafia.” He also reported that some artists have been forced to continue singing until dawn “because the boss of the plaza ordered it, at gunpoint.”
Regarding corruption, he was blunt: “Many of the government’s supplier companies are drug-related… and the worst part: everyone knows it and everyone measures their percentage.” He also said that threats have become part of everyday life: “Someone comes with a cell phone and says, ‘The boss wants to talk to you.’ That’s how life is here.”
They demand that the authorities
Castro made a direct call to the authorities to take their responsibility seriously: “This march is not against you, but rather to demand that you do your job. Deploy more operations, act, protect families, investigate, and break the silence and complicity.”
He backed up his complaint with official figures that reflect an alarming picture: “Morelos ranks first in femicides and dispossession, second in intentional homicides and auto parts theft, fifth in extortion, kidnapping, and robbery on public transportation, and sixth in home burglaries.”
He also lamented the attacks against those seeking justice: “Even searching mothers and those who accompany them have become targets. Some have been murdered in broad daylight, in front of their homes or offices, sometimes in the presence of their loved ones.”
He expressed solidarity with the victims, recalling that “today, the Reyes brothers have been missing for four years. We are pained by the suffering of so many mothers, so many families who live in fear, anguish, and without answers.”
The day concluded with a call for unity and hope: “Today we walk together: ordinary citizens, believers and non-believers, united by a common cry: Enough of so much violence! Enough of so much bloodshed! Enough of impunity! Enough of inefficiency! Enough of indifference!”
Source: lasillarota
