EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Mexico’s Catholic Church is urging authorities in Guanajuato not to dismiss Monday’s murder of seven young men as just another violent episode in a state beset by drug cartel violence.
The seven victims, including some who were minors, were gunned down early Monday in the town square of San Bartolo, 50 miles north of the state capital of Guanajuato. Local news reports said they were stragglers in a Sunday evening church-sponsored festival.
A gang called Cartel Santa Rosa de Lima (CSRL) reportedly took responsibility for the killings through a series of signs hung in the nearby town of San Felipe. Mexican news outlets reported men with rifles arrived in three pickups with tinted windows to the town square and fired more than 100 bullets at their victims.
State authorities have not confirmed the identities of the deceased. News reports identified two boys ages 16 and 17 as the sons of a local government official.
“As shepherds of the People of God, we cannot remain indifferent to the spiral of violence tearing over so many communities in our country,” the Mexican Episcopal Conference said on X. “This massacre – one among many that happen with painful frequency – is an alarming sign of a weakening social fabric, impunity and the absence of peace in vast regions of our nation.”
Guanajuato, a state known for its picturesque vistas and a favorite among American tourists and ex-pats, has been a battleground for control of illicit activities between the local gang (CSRL) and the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Mexico recorded 26,715 murders in 2024. Of those, one in seven (14.4%) took place in Guanajuato, according to the Office of the President of Mexico.
The Catholic bishops’ letter called on local and federal authorities to guarantee public safety and end impunity cartel leaders seemingly enjoy.
They also called on residents not to be indifferent to the carnage or give up because they think justice will not be done. “Violence is not eradicated only with the use of force, but through a profound cultural transformation to uphold the sacred value of human life,” the letter said.
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