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.
After years of tension between village leaders and members of the Christian community, matters came to a head this spring. On March 25th, Pastor Rogelio Hernández Baltazar and other church leaders were arbitrarily detained for 48 hours. Subsequent to their detainment, five plots of land belonging to members of the church were taken over by village leaders in early April.
Since then, church members have been attacked on several occasions, and three families were prevented from returning to their homes. Furthermore, 139 church members – including at least 70 children – were forced to flee their homes on April 26th after village leaders cut off their electricity. The church building was also vandalized, and guards were posted at the entry points of the two villages in order to keep church members out.
The displaced Baptists are currently being sheltered in a municipal building in Huejutla de los Reyes where they are requesting assistance from the government. Local churches are providing humanitarian aid and have joined in the call for governing municipal leaders to intervene. For more reports on persecution in Mexico, go to our country report.
Please prayerfully uphold these displaced Mexican believers, asking God to provide for their practical and spiritual needs. As they determine what steps to take next, may they receive greatly needed guidance, encouragement and strength. Pray that the state government will also respond to the 'call for action' by ensuring these persecuted Christians are duly granted 'freedom of belief,' and thus treated respectfully by village leaders – particularly in areas of Mexico where communities practise a combination of ancestral indigenous beliefs with traditional Catholicism. As a result, may peace and justice be upheld throughout the country.
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