He was a parish priest in San Cristóbal de Las Casas in Chiapas, and one of the few indigenous priests in Mexico, of the Tzotzil ethnic group. Defender of the poor, he was assassinated on October 20th just after celebrating the Eucharist.

In the diocese of San Cristóbal, since his ordination in 2002, he had always stood out for his simplicity and closeness to the poor and disadvantaged, especially those who belonged to his Tzotzil ethnic group, a group descended from the ancient Maya. He was a great supporter and promoter of peace in a city where violence is endemic and where murders and kidnappings abound and often go unpunished.

Father Marcelo was a great supporter and promoter of peace. Photo: SweFOR

Father Marcelo Pérez, just forty years old, in the years of his priestly life, was always attentive to the cry of his people. On many occasions, he was the only one to bring to the attention of public opinion the situation of indigenous peoples who have always been rarely seen and still less heard in Mexican society. The lack of attention, support and valorisation of indigenous cultures was not only a matter of the past or the colonial era but is still a reality today that has concrete consequences in human, educational, health and cultural terms. In large sectors of Mexican society, indigenous people are still considered an inferior and second-class group. This reality is often so accepted by the indigenous people themselves that sometimes they even try to hide their origins, instead of being proud of their language and culture.
Father Marcelo was a great defender of all these values: he spoke the indigenous language fluently; he spread the culture and tried to make the so-called güeros (whites) appreciate the indigenous communities among which they had grown up. He was a courageous promoter of the richness of the original Mexican peoples.

Poster: Alter-native

Father Marcelo had made a great choice as an indigenous priest: to be always present in the outskirts and especially in that of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, where the indigenous communities are more numerous. For this, he was killed.
The Bishop Emeritus of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel, expressed his deep sadness and recalled that Father Marcelo was one of the first indigenous priests from the Tsotsile ethnic group that he ordained. “He always worked for justice and peace among the indigenous peoples, especially in Simojovel, and accompanied the victims of internal violence in Pantelhó,” said Cardinal Esquivel.
According to the Cardinal, the priest never engaged in party politics, but always fought for respect and justice between communities: “He fought for the values of the Kingdom of God to come alive in the communities. The values of truth and life, holiness and grace, justice, love and peace.”
In a communiqué, the Mexican Bishops’ Conference on the priest’s violent death, signed by its President Rogelio Cabrera López and its Secretary General Ramón Castro said: “Father Marcelo Pérez was a living example of priestly commitment to the neediest and weakest in society. His pastoral work, which was characterized by his closeness to the people and his constant support for those most in need, leaves a legacy of love and service that will remain in the hearts of all those he touched through his ministry,”

Father Marcelo was buried in the courtyard of the parish house of the church of San Andrés Apóstol. Courtesy: Cuartoscuro

The communiqué continues:  “The murder of Father Marcelo not only deprives the community of a pastor who was committed to his people, but also silences a prophetic voice that fought tirelessly for peace, truth and justice in the Chiapas region. Marcelo Pérez was a living example of priestly commitment to the neediest and weakest in society.”
Finally, the bishops are calling on the authorities to “conduct a comprehensive and transparent investigation that will lead to clarifying this crime and bring justice to Father Marcelo Pérez,” and “to take effective measures to ensure the safety of priests and pastoral workers” and “to redouble their efforts in the fight against violence and impunity that plague the Chiapas region” and the country in general.  (Open Photo: Celam)

Luis Jiménez