They cry out for an exit from the “labyrinth of violence”

Nestor Jimenez and Eduardo Murillo

Newspaper La Jornada
Monday, July 11, 2022, p. 7

At the start of the so-called journey for peace called by Jesuit groups after the murder of priests Javier Campos Morales and Joaquín César Mora Salazar in Chihuahua, dozens of members and representatives of organizations such as the Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center, students and members of the Universidad Iberoamericana, among others, gathered to pray and call for peace. They spoke out for seeking a path together before the labyrinth of violence.

Shortly before noon they went to the Estela de Luz in Mexico City, where attendees were encouraged to write sentences on sheets of paper in which they captured their cry for peace. They also left candles and flowers next to the plaques of victims of disappearance found at the site.

With the help of a megaphone, Jorge Atilano González, assistant to the provincial for the social sector of the Society of Jesus in Mexico, pointed out that the institutions are overwhelmed by social problems.

Reversing this situation of violence implies the participation of everyone. We all have a word to say; we all have an experience of violence to tellexpressed in front of the attendees.

He called for a call for peace and security in the communities of the Sierra Tarahumara, as well as justice for our brothers Javier and Joaquín, which implies adjusting the institutions so that these events do not happen again, we ask for attention to the structural causes of violence, we ask for openness to understand what is happening to us, to listen to the clamor of a people that is feel hurt and open social dialogue so that together we find the solution to this labyrinth of violence.

At the same time, he stressed that no single actor will be able to solve this situationfor which he considered that he is facing the challenge of entering into a process of national dialogue that allows rethinking the institutionality that Mexico needs, since we are facing a problem of institutional design.

In an interview, he acknowledged that President López Obrador’s position is one of dialogue, but they are still waiting for an official call from the Ministry of the Interior to start this meeting.

Later, during the homily offered in the church of the Sagrada Familia, he pointed to the madness of power, the disease of the 21st century, as the main cause of violence. He recalled that from 1990 to date two priests have disappeared and 63 more have died in the country.

After referring to the case of the murdered priests in Chihuahua, he indicated that laws are not enough, we need convictions, we need to build bridges and build bridges for peace.

In the religious ceremony, the portraits of the two deceased priests were placed on one side of the altar, as well as Paul Oswaldo Berrelleza, a local resident, and the tourist guide Fernando Palma, also killed in Cerocahui.