On Wednesday, Pope Francis condemned the violence that has been plaguing Mexico while also mourning the deaths of two of his Jesuit “brothers.” The two Jesuits were killed after they were shot inside of a rural church in Mexico by people who seemed to be members of a drug gang.
At the conclusion of his weekly general audience, Francisco, a Jesuit from Argentina, offered prayers to the Jesuit community and expressed that he was “saddened and disturbed” to hear of the deaths that took place in the mountainous Mexican state of Chihuahua.
“I can’t believe how many killings there have been in Mexico!” he said. “I cannot stress this point enough: there is never a time when violence is the answer to a problem; rather, it only adds needless pain.”
Both 79-year-old Javier Campos Morales and 80-year-old Joaqun César Mora Salazar were shot and murdered on Monday inside of the church in Cerocahui. It seems that a guy who was being hunted by a drug gang took sanctuary in the church, and when the gang members located him there, they murdered both the man and the priests, according to the police.
During his time as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis ministered to those who were addicted to drugs. He has long since criticised the “traffickers of death” who are responsible for the drug trade, which he has blamed on the “devil” and the desire to make money. During his trip to Mexico in 2016, he strongly encouraged the local population to steer clear of the trafficking.