{"id":210383,"date":"2024-03-05T17:36:03","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T17:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/05\/mexican-bishops-engage-in-talks-with-drug-cartels-in-pursuit-of-peace-in-the-face-of-the-governments-hands-off-approach-to-the-problem\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:21:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:21:12","slug":"mexican-bishops-engage-in-talks-with-drug-cartels-in-pursuit-of-peace-in-the-face-of-the-governments-hands-off-approach-to-the-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/05\/mexican-bishops-engage-in-talks-with-drug-cartels-in-pursuit-of-peace-in-the-face-of-the-governments-hands-off-approach-to-the-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Mexican Bishops Engage in Talks with Drug Cartels in Pursuit of Peace in the Face of the Government\u2019s Hands-Off Approach to the Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Four Roman Catholic bishops have engaged in talks with Mexican drug cartel leaders in an attempt to broker a peace deal, and President Andr\u00e9s Manuel L\u00f3pez Obrador has expressed his support for such negotiations, highlighting a trend whereby the government\u2019s hands-off approach has forced citizens to seek their own agreements with criminal organizations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bishop Jos\u00e9 de Jes\u00fas Gonz\u00e1lez Hern\u00e1ndez of Chilpancingo-Chilapa disclosed the meetings during a public appearance, underscoring the vacuum left by the government\u2019s reluctance to confront the cartels directly, the Associated Press reported February 15.<\/p>\n

In a widely publicized article<\/a> titled \u201cCatholic Bishops in Mexico Say They Negotiated For Possible Peace Accord With Drug Cartel Leaders,\u201d the news agency stated that L\u00f3pez Obrador acknowledged similar discussions had previously occurred in Michoacan and elsewhere in Mexico, noting the church\u2019s role in facilitating such talks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPriests and pastors and members of all the churches have participated, helped in pacifying the country,\u201d the president said the day after Bishop Gonz\u00e1lez Hern\u00e1ndez\u2019s revelation, adding: \u201cI think it is very good.\u201d<\/p>\n

While L\u00f3pez Obrador endorsed the dialogue, he emphasized that any agreements must not grant impunity or privileges to criminals.<\/p>\n

However, the president\u2019s stance was met with skepticism by a parish priest from Michoacan whose town has long lived under the dread of cartels. The priest, who spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity, said he viewed L\u00f3pez Obrador\u2019s statement as an admission of his government\u2019s inability to ensure public safety.<\/p>\n

In many parts of Mexico, citizens have resorted to paying protection fees to drug cartels out of fear of violence or retribution. The church has also faced threats, with several priests murdered by criminal groups. Despite these challenges, some cartel leaders have engaged in discussions with church representatives.<\/p>\n

The most recent negotiations, focused on the ongoing turf wars in Guerrero state, ultimately failed as the cartels were unwilling to cease hostilities. The conflicts have caused transportation disruptions and numerous fatalities in recent months.<\/p>\n

Beyond drug trafficking, cartels in Mexico extort businesses and control various aspects of daily life in their territories. L\u00f3pez Obrador\u2019s policy of \u201chugs, not bullets\u201d has led to a de facto control by cartels over several cities, unleashing higher prices for goods because of cartel-imposed \u201ctaxes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Salvador Rangel, a retired bishop who led the Chilpancingo-Chilapa diocese until 2022, confirmed the talks\u2019 failure, citing the cartels\u2019 refusal to make concessions. He did not specify which cartels were involved, and Guerrero is known to be a battleground for multiple criminal organizations vying for control.<\/p>\n

Rangel defended the negotiations, emphasizing the importance of seeking peace and harmony. That sentiment was echoed by Gonz\u00e1lez Hern\u00e1ndez, who suggested that Pope Francis had indirectly supported the dialogue during a 2023 meeting with bishops.<\/p>\n

Although the Vatican has not commented on Gonz\u00e1lez Hern\u00e1ndez\u2019s claim, the bishop\u2019s position aligns with Francis\u2019 approach, which prioritizes dialogue and peace efforts, even in challenging circumstances.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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[ad_1] Four Roman Catholic bishops have engaged in talks with Mexican drug cartel leaders in an attempt to broker a peace deal, and President Andr\u00e9s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":210384,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[175],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210383"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210383"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":340104,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210383\/revisions\/340104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}