Priest threatened with death in Mexico: “I feel like a war chaplain”

Mexicans went to the polls on June 2nd, amid unchecked violence, including 45 attacks against politicians and 30 candidates murdered. In this war-like situation, the Catholic Church sees itself targeted by both government agents and criminal gangs, as it tries to mediate peace processes and protect the faithful. Father Filiberto Velázquez spoke to Aid to the Church in Need about his mission as a human rights advocate, despite the death threats he receives.

Father José Filiberto Velázquez Florencio of the Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa is the director of the Minerva Bello Center for the Rights of Victims of Violence, an institution that documents cases of violence in the diocese. 

The priest began to document human rights violations in 2022, in a community called El Nuevo Caracol. The local parish priest called him in desperation, because he had 500 displaced faithful taking refuge in his church, and he needed help. Thus began Father Velázquez’s visits to the Guerrero Mountain region, carrying humanitarian aid and recording cases of violence.

Mexico is currently enduring the highest levels of violence seen in six years. In regions that are particularly affected by armed gangs, the intensity and frequency of the violence evoke actual scenes of war.

Like other institutions in Mexico, the Church is not exempt from telephone extortions, threats, frauds, or attacks on Church property. Father José Filiberto tells Aid to the Church in Need (ACN): “As a priest, I can testify to the fact that this country is going through an armed conflict. Many people dedicate themselves to organized crime, destroying church buildings and using technology to spread terror and panic.”

As an example, Father Fili, as he is affectionately known by his friends, describes a case from November of 2022, when criminal gangs used drones packed with explosives on the communities of the Guerrero Mountain. “This isn’t Afghanistan or the Gaza Strip I’m talking about; this is Mexico. This forced the communities to flee and hide from the violence. Chapels, schools, and public squares were damaged. People abandoned economic activity to save their lives. There is plenty of poverty, but there is even more fear,” he says.

Persecution and hostility on all sides

Mexico has a long history of violence, but one of the most complicated moments the priest can recall came in January and February of 2024, with battles between criminal organizations in the Guerrero region. The Church worked as an intermediary, to try and forge a truce between the groups. Father Velázquez explains that the Church’s position was not to whitewash the sins of the criminals, but to act as a go-between in a situation where there was no dialogue, to find a solution that would at least lead to the different sides laying down their arms, in the interest of human rights.

“These were very difficult months,” Father Fili recalls. “We went weeks without public transport; school was suspended; the sick were unable to go to the hospital. So, the Church spoke to those who were causing the terror, and this allowed us to solve the crisis.” Despite the Church’s positive role, however, it became the target of discreet persecution on the part of political agents. “We suffered hostility from the authorities, who stigmatized us and linked us to organized crime, using expressions like ‘crime bishops’ or ‘narc priests.’”

Defamation and persecution are just additional obstacles in the ongoing effort to achieve peace and take the Gospel to conflict zones, where Father Fili feels like “a war chaplain.”

But the situation also calls to mind the words of Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero of San Salvador, who was martyred for his prophetic work in 1980: “Many are scandalized and say we are exaggerating, that the Church is not being persecuted … but this is the historical mark of the Church; it will always be persecuted. A doctrine that calls out immorality, that preaches against abuse, that preaches good and attacks evil, is a doctrine put in place by Jesus Christ to sanctify hearts and renew societies. And naturally, when in that society, or in that heart, you find sin, selfishness, rot, envy, and greed, sin jumps like a snake when you try to stamp on it and persecutes he who is trying to chase out evil and sin. Therefore, when the Church is persecuted, this is a sign that it is fulfilling its mission.”

Death threats

Throughout this struggle for peace, Father Fili has survived armed attacks and is currently receiving death threats. Despite all this, he claims he is not “in love with martyrdom,” but rather “in love with the Gospel.”

In 2021, he was abducted by 50 armed men while on his way to celebrate Mass and was close to being executed. He spent hours on his knees, hoping that someone would come to his rescue. Locals negotiated with his captors, and the intervention of the community was crucial in saving his life.

On another occasion, Father Fili was driving on a mountain road when men on a motorcycle overtook him and shot at his car. One of the bullets hit a tire, and the other struck the passenger’s seat. Fortunately, the priest was traveling alone. “This attack was a clear warning for me to keep quiet, to stop denouncing, to stop preaching, to stop helping, to stop practicing charity.”

After the attack, the Bishop of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, José de Jesús González, offered to assign him to a new post, to ensure his safety, since it no longer seemed prudent to remain in Guerrero State. The bishop shared how painful it was for him and the community to lose a priest, and how difficult it had been when he was bishop of the Prelature of Nayar and three of his priests were murdered. “I don’t want to lose another one,” Bishop González begged.

A few days later, while Father Fili thought about moving, the terrible hurricane Otis struck that part of Mexico, leaving a trail of destruction in his communities. The priest joined in the rescue efforts, distributing humanitarian aid with Caritas, the official body of the Church that coordinates charitable and social aid action.

This convinced him to stay, and today, Father Fili continues to work in the Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa: “I don’t live in fear, but there are times when I am overcome with anguish, when the danger levels increase. I have often cried, but I am comforted by the knowledge that I am not alone, and that God consoles me in times of trouble.”

40 priests killed in 18 years

Mexico is considered the most dangerous country for priests in Latin America. Over the past 18 years, 40 priests have been killed, including two Jesuits who were shot in a church in Chihuahua in June of 2022.

When asked what led him to sit down with armed gangs, the priest tells ACN, “The Church is not a club of saints. Our contact with the world of organized crime shows what the Church is all about: mercy. We don’t close the doors of Heaven to anybody, and we can sit and talk to these people as we do with any other sinner.”

In any case, it is impossible for Father Fili not to have contact with the criminals, since they live in his communities and attend religious festivities. “When they open this door to dialogue, it gives me an opportunity to speak to their consciences and to their hearts.”

Guerrero State belongs to what is known as “Tierra Caliente,” or “Hot Zone,” which describes the climate and also reflects the complex social and political situation. The region is a stage for territorial disputes, like the control of routes for drugs, human trafficking, and illegal mining and farming. At least 16 separate criminal groups – with names such as “Los Ardillos,” “Los Tlacos,” “Guerreros Unidos,” and “La Familia Michoacana” – fight for dominance.

In Guerrero, one is under constant fire, just as in a war. Despite being a target for different gangs and institutions, the priests persist in their commitment to the affected communities, and loudly denounce injustice.

—Maria Lozano