Two Mexican priests kidnapped, killed

September 20, 2016

Two Mexican priests were kidnapped and murdered in the state of Veracruz on September 18.

The two priests, Fathers Alejo Nabor Jimenes Juarez and Joe Alfredo Juarez de la Cruz, were seized on Sunday evening at their parish in Poza Rica. Their bullet-riddled bodies were found by the side of a road near the town on Monday morning. A third man, a lay parish worker, was also kidnapped but survived. 

The two priests served in a low-income neighborhood, in an area where drug-related gang violence has been common. But there was no immediate explanation for the killings. 

 

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Further information:

• Two priests kidnapped and killed in Veracruz state (Fides)
• Two missing Catholic priests found murdered in Mexico (DW)