Bishops Review Border Violence

Shared concerns over violence among Mexico’s drug gangs and broader issues related to discrimination and human rights violations against immigrants and their impact on the church were discussed by bishops from dioceses along the Texas-Mexico border during a three-day meeting that ended on March 3. Gathering in El Paso, across the border from Ciudad Juárez, ground zero in Mexico’s drug war and the site of thousands of murders annually, the 10 bishops also discussed pastoral issues related to the celebration of the sacraments. The bishops agreed to coordinate practices on both sides of the border, making it easier for U.S. residents to get married or have their children baptized in Mexico in front of relatives who find it difficult to cross the border because of the violence. Mexico’s crackdown on organized crime and drug cartels has claimed more than 35,000 lives over the past four years.