Mexican bishop calls for prayers after murder of candidate and his family

Mexico City, Mexico, Sep 9, 2009 / 17:04 pm

In a statement condemning the murder of Representative Jose Fuentes Esperon, his wife and their two children, Bishop Benjamin Castillo Plascencia of Tabasco, Mexico called on all Mexicans to pray and work for an end to the violence.
 
“I think acts like these affect us and are of interest to us all and therefore we all must be involved in remedying the violence that our society is experiencing, because these events are nothing more than evidence of social dissolution.  Violence is now taking over our lives and it must be eradicated from society.  Crimes like these have no justification,” the bishop said.
 
He urged Mexicans to find the roots of such violence and to work to overcome it.  “No one can say they see speck in the eyes of the authorities and ignore log that it is one’s own home.  Violence begins there, but we must remain calm, maintain unity and participate not as mere spectators but with real change, eradicating violence from our homes,” Bishop Castillo said.
 
Mexicans must not leave everything in the hands of the government. Instead, they must help their children to rediscover that Christian and moral values are a true remedy for overcoming violence, he added. 
 
After calling for investigations into the assassination, Bishop Castillo asked for calm as the campaign season continues forward. “If any candidate moves up by hurting another, he better not expect to be respected by others,” the bishop said.