Diocese of Corpus Christi responds to plea for peace

Father Julian Cabrera, pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Alice, and evangelical pastor David de Hinojosa make prayer presentations at ecumenical prayer service for peace.

Alfredo E. Cárdenas, South Texas Catholic

Responding to the Mexican bishops' conference impassioned plea for peace and an end to the bloodshed in Mexico, the Christian faithful in Corpus Christi gathered for an ecumenical prayer service for peace on Sunday, Nov. 23. Several hundred turned out to the Cole Park Amphitheater to pray for the 43 teacher trainees allegedly captured by crooked cops, killed by organized crime and burned.

"With sadness we recognize that the situation of the country has worsened"--since 2010, when the bishops published a pastoral letter on violence--"unleashing a true national crisis," the bishops said in Mexico City. "Many people live subjected to fear, finding themselves helpless against the threats of criminal groups and, in some cases, the regrettable corruption of the authorities."

Pope Francis also said he wanted to express to the Mexicans present in St. Peter's Square, "but also to those in your homeland, my spiritual closeness at this painful time." While the students are legally missing, "we know they were killed," the pope said. Their disappearance and deaths "make visible the dramatic reality that exists behind the sale and trafficking of drugs."

The Office for Hispanic Ministry for the Diocese of Corpus Christi called for the prayer service for peace, which was open to people of all faiths. Among the worship leaders were Father Julian Cabrera, director of the Office for Hispanic Ministry, Father John Hardie pastor of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Corpus Christi and David de Hinojosa an evangelical pastor from the Rio Grande Valley.

Bishop Michael Mulvey was unable to attend but sent a message to those gathered at Cole Park, that the students and people in Mexico were in his prayers and in his heart. He said he was praying for them.

Ordinary Mexicans have taken to the streets, condemning the crimes committed against the students and the apparent collusion between criminals and the political class in parts of the country. The bishops lent their support to peaceful demonstrations, which often have been led by students, and called for a day of prayer Dec. 12, when millions of Mexicans celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

"In our vision of faith, these acts make it evident that we have distanced ourselves from God," the bishops said.

"In the midst of this crisis, we see with hope the awakening of civil society, which as never before in recent years has protested against corruption, impunity and the complicity of some authorities. We believe it is necessary to proceed from protests to proposals."

Authorities arrested José Luis Abarca, mayor of Iguala, and his wife, María de los Ángeles Pineda, Nov. 4 in Mexico City, alleging they ordered the attack on the students. The couple claimed the students were coming to protest a community event planned by Pineda.

Classmates said the students went to Iguala, 120 miles south of Mexico City, to collect funds for a future trip to the capital, but had their borrowed buses shot at by police--who detained 43 of the teacher trainees and handed them over to members of the Guerreros Unidos gang.

The group in Corpus Christi read the names of the 43 students killed.

Families of the missing students refuse to believe the government and said they only will accept evidence presented by Argentine forensic experts working on the case.

Protests have continued, especially in Guerrero, where students and their supporters have burned government buildings, blocked highways and marched through the tourist zone of Acapulco.

(Alfredo E. Cárdenas with the South Texas Catholic contributed to this article.)