The Catholic Church in Mexico on Saturday, 27th December, condemned the murder of a priest, who was abducted by armed men after he criticised organised crime in a sermon.
Gregorio López Gorrostieta dedicated what was to be his final sermon on Sunday, 21st December, to dozens of missing students .
The 43 students of a teachers college in rural Ayotzinapa disappeared after they were reportedly handed over to gangsters by local police following a protest rally on 16th September in the southern city of Iguala.
Priest Gregorio López Gorrostieta, from Altamirano city in Guerrero state, condemned the mass kidnappings.
His sermon was also aimed at organised crime in a nation where at least 80,000 people are believed to
have died since then president Felipe Calderon kicked off a crackdown on drugs lords in December 2006.
Following his critical remarks, witnesses said the priest was forced into a truck by armed men. His
body was found near that city on Monday, 22nd December. He’d been strangled and shot, according to
investigators.
This is the third priest to be murdered in Guerrero state in 2014 alone. The remains of an Ugandan priest were found in a mass grave last month.
Most students, all teachers trainees, remain missing. So far only one set of remains have been identified. The mayor and scores of municipal police have been detained over the abductions.