Slain Mexican Priests Knew Attackers, Veracruz State Prosecutor Says The Associated Press
go to original September 21, 2016

In this composite image released by the Diocese of Papantla, Mexico on Monday, Sept. 19, 2016, photos of priests Alejo Nabor Jimenez Juarez, left, and Jose Alfredo Juarez de la Cruz are shown with a black mourning ribbon and a Rest in Peace acronym placed between them. (Diocese of Papantla/AP)

Update: Another Catholic Priest in Mexico Kidnapped, Remains Missing (Crux)

Investigators said Tuesday that two priests who were killed in Mexico’s Gulf coast state of Veracruz knew their attackers and had been drinking with them, a view that was quickly rejected by some parishioners.

State prosecutor Luis Angel Bravo said the get-together with the attackers “broke down and turned violent,” and that “after the violence came the robbery” of church collection money and some vehicles.

The bullet-ridden bodies of the priests were found on a roadside Monday. Bravo did not say how many attackers there were, but his office said earlier that one suspect had been identified.

His office said in a statement late Monday that prosecutors hoped to file a case against the identified suspect soon. It didn’t say whether the suspect was in custody.

Bravo said that neither drug cartels nor kidnapping was involved in the crime. One priest had been shot nine times and both bodies were found miles from where they were last seen in the Veracruz city of Poza Rica on Sunday, he said.

Parishioners leaving a Mass for the priests at the Our Lady of Fatima Church in Poza Rica expressed skepticism. They said organized crime has plagued Poza Rica with killings and disappearances.

Read the rest at MetroNews.ca

Related: Why Mexico is the Most Dangerous Country for Clergymen (Catholic Online)

Related: Pope Francis Condemns ‘Inexcusable Violence’ in Murder of Mexican Priests (CNA/EWTN News)

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!