Two elderly Jesuit priests have been killed inside a church after a man pursued by gunmen apparently sought refuge in a remote mountainous area of northern Mexico.
Javier Campos Morales, 79, and Joaquín César Mora Salazar, 80, were killed on Monday inside the church in Cerocahui, Chihuahua.
…A statement from the Roman Catholic Society of Jesus in Mexico demanded justice and the return of the men’s bodies. It said gunmen had taken them from the church. The Chihuahua state prosecutor’s office had not commented.
“Acts like these are not isolated,” the statement said. “The Tarahumara mountains, like many other regions of the country, face conditions of violence and abandonment that have not been reversed. Every day men and women are arbitrarily deprived of life, as our murdered brothers were today.”
Two Jesuit priests and man seeking sanctuary killed in Mexican church
Will the killers go to Hell? Most certainly in my opinion. But that is not helpful for those who wish the stay alive and unhurt. I found a photo of the church in question:
Old school Catholic church. As sanctuary it sucks. But as a defensive position? Lots of proper cover all inside and out.
Looks like Mexico needs some help from the monks of St. Possenti. (Read “Heretics of St. Possenti” by Rolf Nelson.)
It works if the criminals respect the authority of the Church and the Priests.
.
Which of course would make them NOT criminals.
No, not really. It would mean only that they respect Church grounds as somewhere not under their control.
Yeah … the time when both states and individuals recognized (and feared) the consequences of denying the Church’s authority and sovereignty are pretty much over.
Just need the more militant priests…
https://i.imgur.com/AXUWOud.jpg
(Robert Mitchum, The Wrath of God, 1972)
Sanctuary only existed for two reasons. The first was the fear of excommunication, which carried penalties from being shunned and not allowed to do business or work to never getting into Heaven.
The second was fear of an armed response. No, seriously. Screwing around in Church or with the Church would get a painful and life-ending response from either locals, warriors sent by the regional overlord or Orders Militant. Painful response, like being scourged to death in the streets or just killed outright.
So, restore the Orders Militant. Safety of Church property and of pilgrims and parishioners was the reason many Orders were established.
Heh. The vision of the Knights of Columbus arming up and going tactical just ran through my mind.
As I said, get Rolf Nelson’s book (it’s on Amazon). It’s a lot of fun as well as food for thought. It doesn’t precisely cover this exact scenario but it certainly offers an example of “orders militant” — as well as an interesting new reason for how they could do good.