Fr Jose Guadalupe Rivas, 58, and an unidentified person were found murdered on a ranch in Tecate, a city located on the border with the United States in the Mexican state of Baja California. Fr Jose was a member of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement of the Archdiocese of Tijuana, and served as parish priest of the parish of Saint Jude the Apostle.

According to the local press, the body of the priest was found with multiple blows earlier this week on the outskirts of Tecate, along with the body of an unidentified man, both beaten beyond recognition. No suspects have yet been identified in the killing.
The priest was last seen alive on May 15. He was reported missing, and an investigation was launched by the state attorney general.

In a statement on May 18, the Archdiocese of Tijuana and Archbishop Francisco Moreno Barrón prayed for the deceased priest’s “return to the Father’s House.” Father Rivas served in the Tijuana Archdiocese for more than 25 years. The archdiocese prayed “that the Risen Christ be strength and comfort for his family.”

Father Rivas was born Dec. 10, 1964, in Torreon and was the fourth of 10 siblings. He was ordained a priest on Oct. 29, 1994, by Bishop Luis Morales Reyes of Torreon.

AnimalPolitico.com reported that “Baja California is one of the states with the highest levels of violence in the country. During the first three months of the year, it has recorded 593 first-degree murders, according to the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System.”
Local police say that a total of 28 murders were reported in the region since the beginning of 2022.

With the homicide of Fr José Guadalupe Rivas, five priests were killed violently in Mexico in the last four years.