After deadly prison riot in Mexico, archbishop asks for prayers

Mexico City, Mexico, Feb 12, 2016 / 04:38 am

Archbishop Rogelio Cabrera López of Monterrey has asked the entire community to unite in prayer in response to the riot that took place at a local prison that left a tragic toll of 52 dead and 12 injured.

"We want to invite the entire community to join us in prayer for our brothers who are inmates and for their families, who are going through anguished moments," the archbishop said in a statement.

The riot took place in the early morning Feb. 11 at the Topo Chico prison located in Monterrey in Mexico's northern Nuevo Leon State.

Nuevo Leon Gov. Jaime Rodríguez Calderón confirmed to CNN the number of dead. He indicated there were no women or children among them. The authorities are working to determine the identity of the dead and injured.

The Archbishop of Monterrey asked that the situation be properly controlled and that appropriate authorities provide information about the prison's situation.

"Given this deplorable incident," he said, "we humbly unite ourselves to the call that the relatives of the inmates have made for a thorough review of the situation in the rehabilitation centers in our state."

Archbishop Cabrera's statement concluded with a request for all the priests who took part in Ash Wednesday observances to "lift up their prayers for this intention in today's Masses."