The Diocese of Cuautitlán is plunged into grief following the murder of Father Ernesto Baltazar Hernández Vilchis, who was found lifeless in a sewer canal in Nextlalpan, in the metropolitan region of Mexico City. The body of the priest, who was active in Tultepec in the State of Mexico, was wrapped in plastic film and tied to a chair. His disappearance, which occurred on October 27, 2025, had already sparked profound emotion among the faithful and Catholic media.
Authorities were able to trace two suspects through the sale of the victim's car. According to the Attorney General's Office of the State of Mexico, the priest was in a house with his alleged murderer and the latter's partner.
A few weeks earlier, Father Bertoldo Pantaleón Estrada, aged 58 and belonging to the Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, was murdered under similar circumstances. The priest had traveled to Tepecoacuilco on October 4 to celebrate Mass, and his body was found two days later in Mezcala, a region marked by criminal violence and mining. Father Estrada had exercised his ministry at the San Cristóbal de Mezcala parish since 2018.
Mexico remains one of the most dangerous countries for Catholic priests. According to the Catholic Multimedia Center (CCM), ten clergymen were murdered there between 2019 and 2024. During this same period, 900 cases of extortion and death threats against members of the clergy were recorded, confirming the extreme vulnerability of priests in certain regions of the country. These tragic events remind us of the urgency to pray for our shepherds and to support the Church in the face of hatred and violence.