Life of Priests in Mexico

Working as a priest can be very demanding, especially in Mexico. During the last 10 years at least 36 Catholic priests were killed there, according to the Catholic Multimedia Center.

Father Erasmo Pliego de Jesus was one of the last victims of drug gangs. His burned body was found in Puebla. It is also known that Father Francisco Javier Gutierrez died in April 2015 as his body with a gunshot wound to the head was found in Guanajuato.

However, one of the surviving priests is Father Alejandro Solalinde, This 70 years old priest had to escape from Mexico after receiving death threats. Someone even gave a prize for killing him- five million pesos ($400, 000).  Therefore, Father Solalinde had four bodyguards watching him to ensure his safety.

According to Father Solalinde, clergymen and nuns are targeted by gangs because they are involved in human rights crisis in this country.

Moreover, Archbishop Norberto Rivera explained that "Many priests are continuously affected by organized crime because there are people who see priests as a symbol of certain values that they don't agree with.”

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