海角大神

In warning parishioners in the troubled state of Michoac谩n to steer clear of organized crime, Pope Francis on Tuesday offered a blunt if simple bit of counsel:聽鈥淛esus would never ask us to be hit men,鈥� he said.

It鈥檚 a potent message in a country where more than 100,000 people have been killed in the drug war since 2006, and where some 80 percent of the population identifies as Catholic. But it also highlighted a lesser known challenge for the country: its status as the most dangerous place in Latin America to be a Catholic priest.聽聽

Over the past 3-1/2 years, 11 priests have been brutally murdered, and another two have gone missing. They join a long list of 53 fallen church leaders since 1992, when the Mexico City-based Catholic Multimedia Center (CCM) first started keeping count. The majority of the slain priests died over the past decade, when the drug war came into full swing.

The ongoing threats are tied to priests' positions of leadership in local communities, as well as a lack of support and protection 鈥� not only from all levels of government but the church hierarchy as well, analysts say.

鈥淥rganized crime has permeated different institutions across the country: the police, the government at all levels,鈥� says Father Omar Sotelo, director of CCM. 鈥淭hese criminals control the situation. When a priest works to help the community, to protect human rights of migrants, women, children, and rural communities, his pastoral labor is inconvenient for organized crime.鈥�

The pope's message 鈥� that Mexico鈥檚 problems are the responsibility of the entire population 鈥� could make a difference here, says Father Sotelo.

鈥淪lowly, the government and the church leadership are becoming aware of this situation,鈥� he says, adding that he hopes this will lead to more protection for those who work in churches across the country.

Churches look past illegal activity

This isn鈥檛 the first time priests have been caught up in the region鈥檚 violence.聽From Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar's Robin Hood image in his city of Medellin to present-day Mexico's drug lords who pave roads or maintain the relative peace when they're in control, the church is often under pressure to turn a blind eye to illegal activity, says Rodolfo Soriano Nu帽ez, a Mexican sociologist and author of 鈥淒emocracy and Religion in Latin America.鈥澛�

In the state of Hidalgo, authorities in 2009 discovered that a Catholic church had been built through the 鈥済enerosity鈥� of a leader of the deadly Zetas cartel. Some suspect organized criminals use churches for activities such as laundering money or recruiting foot soldiers.聽

鈥淚f priests are unwilling to play ball with the drug lords, or they tell [parishioners] not to pay extortions, that鈥檚 an easy way to become a target,鈥� says Mr. Soriano Nu帽ez.

Like the majority of crimes in Mexico, most of the murders of these priests have remained unsolved. But they share evidence of a link to organized crime, says Sotelo. "[T]he form in which they are killed, it鈥檚 very brutal. It鈥檚 torture and assassination and that鈥檚 [organized criminals鈥橾 way of doing business.鈥澛�

Some priests under threat have taken to wearing a bulletproof vest during mass, hiring bodyguards, or cutting back on time spent working with migrants or the poor in cartel-heavy territories.

鈥淢ostly they are killed because their bishops aren鈥檛 paying attention,鈥� says Soriano Nu帽ez. 鈥淭he church hierarchy is unwilling to criticize the public safety and security policies of the last two governments. They are unwilling to interfere with their relationship with politicians.鈥澛�

Many hope the pope鈥檚 sharp rebuke of Mexico鈥檚 church leaders here will change that.

鈥淒o not lose time or energy in secondary things, in gossip or intrigue, in conceited schemes of careerism, in empty plans for superiority, in unproductive groups that seek benefits or common interests,鈥� Pope Francis said.

鈥淭he pope, in his many different messages, mentioned the problems Mexico faces, which are the problems priests are facing,鈥� says Sotelo. 鈥淭he church, the government, the nation has a responsibility. [The pope] has laid out our work ahead.鈥�