Mexico City: Mexico, recognized as the most dangerous country in the world for priests, has witnessed the killing of 80 Catholic clergy members over the past 34 years, according to a report published by the Catholic Multimedia Center (CCM) on December 9. The CCM’s Director, Fr. Omar Sotelo Aguilar, highlighted that since 1990, Catholic priests in Mexico have faced persistent and lethal threats.

Under Felipe Calderón’s presidency (2006–2012), 17 priests were murdered. This number rose to 19 during Enrique Peña Nieto’s administration (2012–2018). During the tenure of current president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, 10 priests have already lost their lives, and 14 additional clergy, including bishops, have been attacked. The report also reveals that an average of 26 church attacks occur weekly.

Fr. Sotelo described the level of violence across all sectors of Mexican society as unprecedented, reaching a critical and alarming stage. Beyond murders, priests have endured threats, thefts, and various forms of violence, severely hindering their pastoral work. Among the most shocking incidents was the assassination of Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo, Archbishop of Guadalajara, who was gunned down at Guadalajara airport on May 24, 1993—a crime that has remained unresolved for over three decades.