The Christians who were released Photos from Compass Direct |
Praise the Lord for the release of these men! Pray for the release of the other falsely accused Mexicans who remain in detention. Pray that detained Christians will witness faithfully to fellow prisoners.
For more information on the opposition of Mexican Christians, click here.
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 Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (2024)
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 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.
Members of the Great Commission Baptist Church in the Mexican villages of Coamila and Rancho Nuevo have frequently encountered opposition from community leaders for refusing to participate in festivals that go against their Christian beliefs. In March 2024, these difficulties came to a head when Pastor Rogelio Hernández Baltazar was arbitrarily detained, along with other church leaders, for 48 hours. Eventually, 151 believers were forced to leave their homes and find refuge in the nearby city of Huejutla de los Reyes.
On April 26th, 151 members of the Great Commission Baptist Church from two villages in Hidalgo State were forced from their homes because of their belief in Christianity. These believers have experienced years of tension because of their refusal to participate in local religious festivals involving their villages' ancient tribal rituals, drunkenness and debauchery. Prior to the forced displacement, hostile community members physically attacked several of the believers, turned off the power to their homes, banned their Christian children from attending school, and committed many other incidents of intimidation and harassment. (Learn more.)
In November 2023, community leaders of San Isidro Arenal, a town located within Oaxaca State, mandated that Roman Catholicism will be the only religion permitted in their community. Following this decision, 13 evangelical families began to experience threats and violence from those opposing them. A month later, three of the families were forcibly expelled and took refuge in the Playa Vicente Municipality of Veracruz State.
More than 100 members of the Great Commission Baptist Church in Hidalgo State were recently forced from their homes because they refused to participate in their villages' religious festivals. The Christians took refuge in a government building in Huejutla de los Reyes, where they called upon municipal and state authorities to intervene. For more details on this situation, see this page.
