1 priest killed as gunmen shoot him dead on a highway in Hidalgo, Mexico

Mexican priest Román de la Cruz Hernández was found shot dead in the central state of Hidalgo, the Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) reported on Wednesday.

The 48-year-old priest’s body was discovered Tuesday along the Tolago-Tetlapaya highway in the municipality of Lolotla. According to initial reports, he had been shot and left by the roadside next to a message. Authorities with the Hidalgo state prosecutor’s office confirmed the presence of the message but have not disclosed its contents.

De la Cruz served as parish priest of the Santa Cruz Church in the Diocese of Huejutla. In a statement, the CEM expressed solidarity with the diocese and called on authorities to conduct a thorough investigation so the facts can be clarified and justice served promptly.

No arrests have been reported, and official details about the motive or circumstances remain limited.

The killing occurs against a backdrop of ongoing violence targeting Catholic clergy in Mexico. The organization Diálogo Nacional por la Paz has documented 67 cases of attacks and murders of priests between 1990 and 2024. The Centro Católico Multimedial reports that 80 priests, religious, and laypeople have been killed in the country since 1990. Church figures and civil groups have linked many of these incidents to organized crime and territorial control.