Christian family attacked and three killed in Mexico

Three Christians in the community of Jolitontic, Chiapas, Mexico were recently brutally killed by a neighbour, according to a September 3 report from Compass Direct. Antonio Gomez blamed his Christian neighbour, Pedro Gomez Diaz and family, for his 11-year-old daughter's stomach ailment and accused the Christian family of practicing witchcraft. After midnight on August 23, Gomez and seven of his friends entered the home of the Christian family and attacked them with machetes. Pedro, his wife Marcela and their oldest son, Rene were hacked to death. Six of the other Diaz children were seriously wounded. At last report, the eight men involved in the attack were being held in a jail.

Pray for the surviving Diaz family as they mourn their parents and oldest sibling. Ask God to give them comfort in knowing that Christ is victorious over death (1 Corinthians 15:50-58).

For more information on the persecution Christians face in Mexico, please visit the Mexico Country Report.

  • Country Information

    Population
    129,875,529 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) (62), Predominantly Amerindian (21), Amerindian (7), other (10)

    Religion (%)
    Roman Catholic/Syncretism (78) Evangelical (11.2) unaffiliated (10.6)

    Leader
    President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (2018)

    Government type
    Federal presidential republic

    Legal system
    Civil law system with US constitutional law influence; judicial review of legislative acts

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for Mexico

    Pray that the Christians residing within these regions will exemplify the grace of God toward those who oppose them. May these believers be further strengthened and encouraged to continue faithfully sharing the Gospel and demonstrating the love of Jesus. Ask the Lord to abundantly bless and multiply their efforts, resulting in a great harvest of lasting spiritual fruit in the lives of those within their communities and beyond – impacting the nation of Mexico as a whole.

Mexico News

  • Displaced Christians Pressured to Accept Agreement
    A white church building is surrounded by trees with a hillside in the background.
    A church building in Hidalgo.
    Photo: Wikimedia / Frankms (cc)

    More than 100 members of the Great Commission Baptist Church in Hidalgo State were recently forced from their homes because they refused to participate in their villages' religious festivals. The Christians took refuge in a government building in Huejutla de los Reyes, where they called upon municipal and state authorities to intervene. For more details on this situation, see this page.

  • Over 100 Christians Forced from Their Homes
    A white church building is surrounded by trees with a hillside in the background.
    A church building in Hidalgo.
    Photo: Wikimedia / Frankms (cc)

    For several years, community leaders in the villages of Coamila and Rancho Nuevo, which are both located within the state of Hidalgo, have been inciting trouble for members of the Great Commission Baptist Church – pressuring them to participate in festivals that go against their beliefs. In December 2022, one of the non-compliant members was admitted to hospital after being tied to a tree and beaten. Additionally, since 2018, the children of church members in these villages have been banned from attending school.

  • Christian Woman Severely Beaten
    Green fields with hills in the background.
    A rural area in Hidalgo, Mexico.
    Photo: Flickr / David Cabrera (cc

    Since 2015, members of the Great Commission Baptist Church in the community of Rancho Nuevo, Hidalgo State, have been prohibited from accessing their land to cultivate crops. On December 21st, Maria Concepcion Hernández-Hernández was physically assaulted for merely viewing her plot of land after being asked by a neighbour to remove two trees from the property. When local leaders were informed that the Christian woman had gone to her land, she was ambushed and brutally beaten.

  • Christians Penalized for Not Participating in Festival
    A group of men praying, arms wrapped around each other
    Photo: VOMC

    For the fourth consecutive year, Christians from the Alpha and Omega Presbyterian Church in Nueva las Tacitas, Chiapas State, are being forced to participate in a religious festival or face fines from village leaders. Every year, the people of the area celebrate the Santa Cruz Festival on May 3rd. This festival is part of syncretistic religious beliefs, involving a combination of Roman Catholicism and traditional tribal religions.