When Alberto Iturbe died at the age of thirty-eight, his family began plans for his burial which, by law, had to take place within twenty-four hours. However the family encountered one barrier after another as every authority refused them the right to bury their loved one because he was not a member of the traditional Catholic Church.
According to a June 15 report from Compass Direct, the Iturbe family lives in a mostly indigenous colony in the city of Puebla, the capital of Puebla state. Burials have been under the control of the secular Mexican government since 1859, but recent changes have given indigenous communities the right to invoke "use and custom" over regular civil laws. The Iturbe family appealed to the municipal president, the local Catholic priest and finally to the local district attorney. Everyone turned down their request for burial. They were finally forced to use cremation.
Although Mexico has freedom of conscience and religion, local authorities have frequently imposed upon the freedoms of evangelicals. As a result of this situation, evangelical leaders in the state are pressing for a change in the new law for indigenous communities.
Pray for the Iturbe family as they face their grief along with these difficulties. Pray for Christians in various communities in Mexico who are facing similar pressures from local authorities.
For more information on the difficulties facing Christians in Mexico, click here.
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