I note this report with displeasure.
Mexico's Roman Catholic Church has suspended a controversial priest who has advised parishioners to carry guns to fight off drug cartels. Better known as "Father Pistolas," Rev. Alfredo Gallegos is a priest in the violence-plagued western state of Michoacan who has himself sometimes carried a weapon.
A circular from the Archdiocese of Morelia, the state capital, instructed other priests not to allow the Rev. Gallegos to celebrate Mass.
. . .
Even for Michoacan, it was surprising when the Rev. Gallegos called from the pulpit in 2021 for parishioners to arm themselves against warring drug gangs.
"The cartel gunmen come, they take the livestock, they screw your wife and daughter, and you do nothing," the Rev. Alfredo Gallegos said in a sermon. "Well, get yourself a gun, the government can go to hell."
"We have to defend our lives," Gallegos continued.
. . .
Michoacan has a history of armed civilian "self defense" vigilante militia movements dating from 2013 and 2014. Back then vigilantes managed to chase the dominant Knights Templar cartel out, but rival cartels like the Viagras and the Jalisco cartel have moved in. Kidnappings, killings and shootings have prompted thousands to flee their homes.
There's more at the link.
I said "displeasure" because the Knights Templar Cartel, from its foundation, was widely known to be associated with the leadership of the Catholic Archdiocese of Morelia (covering the Michoacan province). I've heard reports from trustworthy law enforcement sources that the Archbishop at the time used to get his cut of the proceeds from the Cartel's operations.
It's therefore with some cynicism that I hear that one of the Archdiocese's priests has been suspended for urging his parishioners to defend themselves against cartel excesses. Let's just say that, in the light of recent history, I think that decision might be a teensy-weensy bit self-interested and unbalanced . . .
Peter
6 comments:
And with the current Pope being an avowed communist, you can expect little pushback from the Holy See.
As successful as the cartels are, I've always thought the violence harmed them. Acapulco could have been an enormous money machine for them, as Las Vegas was for the American Mafia, but it never occurred to the cartels to sit down and divvy it up. Acapulco could have been a Neutral Zone, just as Vegas once. The Mafia knew that violence drove away the tourists. The cartels simply pull their guns when there's a disagreement, and it's to their detriment. And killing civilians doesn't help their cause.
LCT (Los Caballeros Templarios) Cartel was STARTED by the Archbishop personally and there were tracts at the time that I saw that were distributed by the Catholic Church. There were a number of claims which included a "fact" cited that their methamphetamine was "pure". LFM (La Familia Michoacan) run by La Tuta at the time, flaunted the authority of the Church and they reacted.
Fast forward to the present time where the Cartels run the nation almost directly, and the US has opened its borders to narcotrafficking almost completely...
The Bishop just following Joe, got his 10%?
The editorial "...to Hell with Government" was probably what cooked his goose. It's clear that he is a pistolero kinda guy and has been for quite some time, and has probably told his parishioners to become armed in the past.
Would be interested in the background of the Bish here.
"Sell your cloak, buy a sword, protect the helpless." I seem to recall that from somewhere....
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