In a country besieged by unrelenting violence, the Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) raised its voice against the wave of murders that ends the lives of «peace builders.» The brutal homicide of the mayor of Uruapan, Carlos Manzo Rodríguez, which occurred during the Day of the Dead celebrations, stands as the most lacerating symbol of this crisis. «Mexico is living painful moments,» warn the bishops in a statement issued this weekend, demanding not only justice, but a frontal combat against the roots of organized crime that devours the Rule of Law.
The crime against Manzo, a 45-year-old Morenista leader known for his bravery in denouncing drug trafficking interference in Michoacán, occurred on the night of November 1 in Uruapan’s Plaza Morelos. During the Festival of Candles, a massive event that brought families together to honor the deceased, the gunman approached the mayor, who had previously broadcast on social media. Without a word, the attacker opened fire: seven bullets struck Manzo in the torso, and he fell lifeless before dozens of terrified witnesses.
Manzo was not a politician oblivious to the risk. In the weeks prior, he had publicly clamored for greater federal protection, alerting about direct threats from organized crime that controls avocado routes and ports in the region. «Uruapan bleeds from impunity,» he declared in an interview with CNN last month, positioning himself as a «peace builder» by promoting programs against extortion and forced recruitment of youth. His death, the 12th of mayors in Mexico this year, not only leaves a widow and three children in mourning, but a city in turmoil: thousands protested on Sunday in the streets of Uruapan, demanding the resignation of Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla and chanting «Justice for Carlos!».
The condemnation has been unanimous and cross-cutting. President Claudia Sheinbaum, in her first message as head of state, expressed «absolute firmness» against the «vile murder,» promising that «there will be no impunity» and ordering Omar García Harfuch, Secretary of Security, to lead the investigation. «I express my condolences to his family and the people of Uruapan,» she said at the National Palace, although opposition critics accuse her of minimizing the crisis by calling the protesters «vultures» who seek to destabilize her government. From the business sector, the Employers’ Confederation of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex) and the Confederation of Industrial Chambers (Concamin) repudiated the act as a «hard blow to institutions,» urging «determination» to eradicate the corruption that feeds the narco. The Mexican Academy of Criminal Sciences (AMCP) lamented the loss and called for a «comprehensive anti-crime strategy,» while Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued alerts about the «collapse of the State» in Michoacán, where the CJNG disputes territory with Los Viagras.
In this context of collective indignation, the CEM’s message, signed by Bishop Ramón Castro Castro (president), Héctor M. Pérez Villarreal (general secretary), and Javier Navarro Rodríguez (head of Justice and Peace), emerges as a moral beacon. Titled «On the Recent Murders of Peace Builders in Mexico,» the document—released on November 2—does not limit itself to lamentation: it demands a radical shift in the state’s response. «The cowardly murder of Mayor Carlos Manzo adds to a worrying chain of crimes against those who build peace and defend the dignity of their communities,» the text begins, also alluding to merchant Bernardo Bravo, who was riddled with bullets days earlier in Veracruz for resisting extortions.
The bishops go to the heart of the matter: «Road checkpoints, land dispossession, constant threats to producers, merchants, and officials reflect a serious weakening of the constitutional order.» They criticize the superficiality of punitive actions—»it is no longer enough to apprehend the killer»—and point to the «true crime»: the omnipresence of armed groups that «control public life» in entire regions. «We must combat with determination and intelligence the threatened lives of thousands of citizens who day by day see their freedoms violated,» they cry out, recalling that Manzo and Bravo died for «raising their voices and confronting the lack of Rule of Law.»
The call is inclusive and urgent: «Building peace is everyone’s task: families, teachers, merchants, businesspeople, members of various religious denominations, and citizens from the three levels of government.» The Church offers its «National Dialogue for Peace» as a coordination platform, a space for «encounter, dialogue, and action» that has brought together bishops, NGOs, and authorities since 2019. Addressing the violent directly, the prelates cite Genesis: «We call on all Mexicans who are provoking this violence to stop it and respect everyone’s life, for each brother is a gift from God. Cain, where is your brother?» Finally, they invoke the Virgin of Guadalupe: «Guide our hearts and intercede for us so that together we may achieve the peace, freedom, and development that our Mexico deserves.»