In Mexico, a National Dialogue for Peace

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“Our work is sustained by the pain of victims. We want to let them know that they are not alone, that there is sufficient energy, generosity, and intelligence in Mexico to transform our reality and overcome this dark period which has done such damage to us all,” says Bishop Ramón Castro of Cuernavaca, the secretary general of the Mexican bishops’ conference and a participant in the recently held National Dialogue for Peace. 

The initiative is a response to the violence in the country, which is one of the most dangerous in the world. The National Citizens’ Observatory reported 15,560 murders in the first half of 2023. In 70.2 percent of those cases, victims were killed by firearms, the use of which has gone up by 52 percent under the current administration. And impunity for the perpetrators has caused additional suffering.

Tribute to Father Joaquín Mora and Father Javier Campos 

Disappearances also happen frequently. Between December 1, 2018, and June 30, 2023, 43,119 people have been reported missing, and none have been found. And domestic violence has sharply increased, too, reaching record numbers in the first quarter of 2023, with two investigations opened every two minutes.

The Church is not spared this. Five priests have been murdered in the past two years, and the most recent victim was Father Javier García Villafaña, who was killed on May 22nd. The day before, Archbishop Faustino Armendáriz Jiménez of Durango narrowly escaped assassination in his own cathedral. And two months later, two catechists were gunned down on their way to join a Eucharistic procession.

Last year, the murders of Fathers Javier Campos and Joaquín Mora in the state of Chihuahua led the Church to launch a peace-building campaign. To date, there have been more than 1,000 talks and 50 peace forums, and 1,300 people have attended.The National Dialogue for Peace, supported by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), was held September 21-23. It was jointly sponsored by the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, the Conference of Religious in Mexico, the Jesuits, and the Episcopal Commission for the Laity. The National Dialogue for Peace concluded with the signing of the Citizens’ Agreement for Peace. The document calls for the eradication of violence and lays the groundwork for the creation of a National Peace Network.

Bishop Castro told ACN, “We cannot lose hope of being artisans of peace. We must not let ourselves be defeated by evil. Most of us want what is good. We should echo the words of Pope Francis on his visit to Mexico: not to get accustomed to violence, because that makes us numb to the pain caused by criminality, which is the worst thing that can happen to the human heart.”

The Citizens’ Agreement for Peace provides clear marching orders: “Not only do we say ‘enough!’ We also say that the time has come to act!”