Evangelical Pastor Assassinated

Mariano Díaz Méndez, 38, a minister of the Tzotzil Evangelical Church, was assassinated on October 24 near the town of San Juan Chamula in Mexico's troubled southern state of Chiapas.According to an October 28 report from Compass Direct, Méndez was near the village of Botatulán, on his way to a prayer service, when heavily armed men stopped his automobile around 3:00 p.m.

According to witnesses, Méndez left his vehicle, attempting to evade his attackers, when they shot him to death with an AK-47 assault rifle. Mariano Díaz Méndez is survived by his wife, the former María Pérez Gómez, and a daughter, Rosa.

Chiapas, Mexico

Méndez is the second evangelical pastor to die in the past two weeks. On October 17, Jairo Solís López was killed in the municipality of Mapastepec. The circumstances surrounding Solís's death are unclear, but sources fear that this is a resurgence of persecution against evangelicals by local caciques, or powerful community chieftains. Caciques practice "traditionalist" religion, a semi-pagan mix of Roman Catholic beliefs and ancient Mayan religion. Over the past thirty years, scores of evangelicals have died and hundreds injured. About 35,000 live in ghettos around the district capital of San Cristóbal de las Casas, having been forced to leave their homes by caciques. Recently cacaques had issued threats in San Juan Chamula, saying that the evangelical leaders would fall one by one.

Pray for divine protection for Christians living in this troubled area of Mexico. Pray that the authorities will provide protection and will be willing to prosecute those responsible for these crimes. Pray for Méndez's wife and daughter, as they grieve this terrible loss.


 

  • Country Information

    Population
    129,875,529 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) (62), Predominantly Amerindian (21), Amerindian (7), other (10)

    Religion (%)
    Roman Catholic/Syncretism (78) Evangelical (11.2) unaffiliated (10.6)

    Leader
    President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (2018)

    Government type
    Federal presidential republic

    Legal system
    Civil law system with US constitutional law influence; judicial review of legislative acts

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for Mexico

    Pray that the Christians residing within these regions will exemplify the grace of God toward those who oppose them. May these believers be further strengthened and encouraged to continue faithfully sharing the Gospel and demonstrating the love of Jesus. Ask the Lord to abundantly bless and multiply their efforts, resulting in a great harvest of lasting spiritual fruit in the lives of those within their communities and beyond – impacting the nation of Mexico as a whole.

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