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Catholic priests in Jalisco, Mexico, took to the rooftops on Sunday to display the Blessed Sacrament and pray for peace in their country as a terror campaign in response to the elimination of a top cartel boss plunged much of the country into chaos.
Violence spread throughout at least 18 states in Mexico on Sunday following the killing of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the head of the Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG). “El Mencho” was widely considered one of the country’s most powerful cartel bosses and CJNG is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. Reports on Sunday indicated that Mexico officials attempted to apprehend “El Mencho,” triggering a battle featuring Russian RPGs and other high-grade weapons in which the cartel boss was killed.
In response to his death, CJNG launched a full-scale assault on over a dozen states, using tactics such as setting communities on fire, burning cars, attacking law enforcement officers, and setting up roadblocks. The chaos shut down airports and prompted an American government alert to its citizens in the country to shelter in place. Mexican federal government officials confirmed 58 people dead as of Monday morning, including law enforcement officers and at least one random civilian.
The violence made it impossible for Catholics in Mexico, the majority religion in the country, to attend Mass on Sunday. This week marked the passing of Ash Wednesday and the first Sunday in the season of Lent, in which Catholics prepare for Holy Week and Easter, the holiest holiday on the liturgical calendar. To tend to the believers trapped in their homes in Jalisco, Father Ricardo López Díaz of the state’s Santa Cruz parish in El Salto brought the Blessed Sacrament to the rooftops of the city and prayed there for an end to the violence.
“On a Sunday of tension, in which people could not leave their homes, from the heights of a bell tower, blessings were imparted with the Blessed Sacrament,” Father López wrote on his Instagram account, sharing video of the blessing.
The priest shared the video with the passage 2 Chronicles 7:14, which reads, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
The Mexican online outlet Apartado reported on Sunday that the scene of priests blessing the country on rooftops was repeated “in various churches,” though it did not list the specific sites where this occurred.
While a majority Christian country, Mexico is among the world’s most dangerous to practice Christianity freely, in large part due to violence from the cartels which often operate as independent paramilitary and corporate entities. The Christian humanitarian organization Open Doors ranked Mexico number 30 on its annual World Watch List of persecuting countries this year, citing organized criminal violence.
“Criminal groups operate throughout Mexico, making it dangerous for any Christians living in areas under their influence — particularly those, such as church leaders, whose efforts in promoting peace are deemed a threat to gangs,” Open Doors explained in its annual report. “This year [2025] saw a worrying rise in serious incidents, including one of the highest numbers in recent years of Christians killed, as well as new forms of violence that had rarely been recorded before.”
Catholic priests, in particular, have become targets of violence for their opposition to cartel activity and the devastation that it has brought, particularly to Mexico’s poor. By 2015, religious persecution experts were identifying Mexico as home to the highest number of priest homicides in the world. Among the most shocking recent cases of such killings was that of Father Marcelo Pérez Pérez, killed in October 2024 in Chiapas. Father Pérez was known for his advocacy for human rights and for reporting organized criminal activity threatening his indigenous community; he was known to have received multiple death threats before his killing.
Leftist President Claudia Sheinbaum insisted on Monday that the chaos that the country had experienced on Sunday was ebbing.
“Today there is more calm and there is a government, there are armed forces,” Sheinbaum told reporters during a press conference on Monday morning. “There is a security cabinet and much coordination. So you can be calm that we are guarding the peace, security, and normality in the country.”
English (US)