SearchNo resolution for Protestant families in Mexico after 50 days of displacementThe Christian Post To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Please click here to learn how You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience 2024The national flag of Mexico hoisted above the National Palace government offices in the Zocalo de la Mexico City | Getty Images Fifty days have passed since the displacement of over 150 Baptist Protestants in Mexico’s Hidalgo State with no significant government action to address the injustices faced by this religious minority says a U.K.-based international Christian group The 150 members of the Great Commission Fundamental Baptist Church in the municipality of Huejutla de Reyes including more than 70 children and infants were forcibly removed from their homes in the villages of Rancho Nuevo and Coamila by local Catholic community leaders on April 26 according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide which says local authorities have effectively ignored their plight despite the guarantees of religious freedom under Mexican law The sequence of events leading to the displacement involved the cutting off of electricity, vandalism of the Protestant church and blocking access to homes, culminating a decade of religious freedom violations, CSW said in a statement Initially sheltered in a municipal building the displaced families were subsequently moved to a sports complex highlighting the transient nature of their accommodation and the lack of permanent solutions The inaction of local government officials has been stark Sources close to the matter have indicated that the municipal government has distanced itself advising the displaced to acquiesce to the demands of Catholic leaders which include punitive fines based on the duration of their Protestant faith now totaling an exorbitant 750,000 MXN (roughly $40,000) the newly appointed Hidalgo State Director of Religious Affairs allegedly dismissing it as a mere neighborhood dispute without acknowledging its religious underpinnings Municipal officials have also suggested that the community resolve the issues independently the outgoing municipal administration expressed disinterest in resolving the conflict No municipal government in Huejutla de Reyes has addressed violations of freedom of religion or belief in the past two decades criticized the local and state governments for their passivity and denial of the religious discrimination at play She urged the federal government to intervene and ensure accountability through the justice system Stangl also appealed to the incoming presidency of Claudia Sheinbaum to prioritize the protection of religious freedoms predominantly Nahuatl-speaking indigenous communities are governed under traditional “Uses and Customs,” which should align with national and international human rights laws Incidents of violence and persecution against the Protestant minority in these villages have been ongoing In December 2022, a church member was hospitalized in critical condition after being tied to a tree and beaten by village leaders, according to a previous report by CSW Other community members have faced arbitrary detention religious minority children have been barred from attending the local school Pastor Rogelio Hernández Baltazar and other church leaders were arbitrarily detained for 48 hours village leaders sanctioned the takeover of five plots of land belonging to church members If the state government refuses to protect the rights of religious minorities, the federal government must intervene, Stangl said earlier adding that the government must address the culture of impunity that allows such violations to go unchecked ensuring families can practice any religion or belief without facing illegal fines or pressure to renounce their beliefs The persecution of Christians in Mexico has risen due to various factors traditionalist Catholic practices and discrimination by anti-Christian groups Open Doors USA has reported an increase in such incidents with Mexico rising in rank on its World Watch List Traditionalist Catholics often persecute Mexican Christians, Open Doors USA President and CEO David Curry told The Christian Post in an earlier interview rural groups of people practicing ancient folk religions around the world Open Doors calls this kind of persecution “clan violence.” Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone By making a recurring donation or a one-time donation of any amount you're helping to keep CP's articles free and accessible for everyone Hope you’ll give us another try and check out some other articles. 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Despite the fact that the municipality of Huejutla de Reyes the municipality’s director of regulations says the virus is “pure bullshit” and encouraged residents to go out and “have fun.” Molinos made the expletive-laden comments in a short video posted to social media on Wednesday where he introduces himself as “Doctor Juventino,” filming himself while driving with a mask around his neck the video had been viewed more than 14,000 times Molinos removed the footage from his Facebook page later on Wednesday but his comments had already gone viral Some were calling for Molinos to be fired while others viewed the pandemic as a government invention Molinos made the comments despite the fact that 30 people in the municipality have died from the disease and 237 confirmed cases have been diagnosed Among the dead is Juan José Redondo Márquez leader of a bar owners’ association and a Covid-denier who passed away in June of respiratory failure caused by Covid-19 Redondo had assured fellow bar owners that the disease did not exist and pressured municipal authorities to allow the reopening of bars and cantinas Media reports say that when his condition worsened family members called the Red Cross for help but Redondo refused to be transported to the hospital via ambulance in a capsule that protects paramedics from coronavirus The ambulance left and Redondo died shortly after Hidalgo had 5,035 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and had seen 822 deaths Source: La Jornada (sp), Criterio Hidalgo (sp) ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC More than 176 displaced evangelicals in Hidalgo state cannot return to their homes until they pay a $9,000 fine to local authorities cut power to the Christians’ homes and ultimately forced them to flee the area The villages of Coamila and Rancho Nuevo are small villages under the municipal authority of the nearby town of Huejutla de Reyes The April 25 attack in Coamila and Rancho Nuevo was not the first time Pastor Rogelio Hernández Baltazar and members of his Great Commission Baptist Church experienced hostilities because of their faith the whole church community was systematically threatened “They planned to commit acts of violence,” Baltazar’s assistant Juan Nicolás Hernández Solorzano told me boasting that once our phones ran out of charge we would not have any way to communicate for help or record evidence.” The families left the area and sought help from authorities in Huejutla de Reyes who initially provided shelter but have stopped helping them according to CSW Villagers targeted the evangelicals because they refused to participate in local rituals that combine indigenous and Roman Catholic traditions Local indigenous communities cite the Law of Uses and Customs which grants autonomy to indigenous peoples in Mexico to coerce religious minorities into obedience president of International Christian Concern “A typical example is the annual festivals,” King said “These are drunk and hedonistic multi-day festivals where everyone has to contribute financially And so they come to the Christians … but we don’t want to support it—we can’t support it morally began receiving multiple threats from village leaders soon after becoming Baptist Protestant believers in Rancho Nuevo lost their rights to education Community officials went so far as to prevent Christians from reporting their fiscal obligations to the state we were no longer taken into account,” Solorzano said “They would no longer receive our financial contributions They argued that we were disobedient and did not want to pay We responded that we were willing to pay anything for the good of the community because in Mexico there are laws stating that religious liberty can be individual or collective.” Mexico ranks 37th on the Open Doors World Watch List of countries with the worst persecution of Christians Cuba and Nicaragua also saw a spike in cases of religious persecution over the last year King says there is a brighter side to the worsening trends of religious persecution in Latin America “My guess is that it’s just the spread of evangelicalism “There’s a deeper spiritual thing going on where there’s two kingdoms colliding Sometimes we can get caught up about Christianity in our own country If you enjoyed this article and would like to support WORLD's brand of Biblically sound journalism, click here These summarize the news that I could never assemble or discover by myself Please wait while we load the latest comments.. Please register, subscribe, or log in to comment on this article Search150 Christians forcibly displaced in Mexico return home after 5 monthsThe Christian Post | Getty Images Over 150 Protestant Christians who were forcibly displaced five months ago have returned to their homes in Hidalgo State following a resolution facilitated by state and municipal officials The agreement was reached between the displaced community and local village authorities of Rancho Nuevo and Coamila in the Huejutla de Reyes municipality, as reported by U.K.-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide marks the resolution of a prolonged conflict involving serious violations of religious freedom and blocked access to homes of the Protestant minority living in a municipal building and later a sports complex They relied on local churches for food and river water for hygiene leading to widespread illness and infections The newly elected municipal government acted to resolve the crisis with Hidalgo State Secretary Guillermo Olivares Reyna and Director of Religious Affairs Margarita Cabrera Román playing key roles in brokering the agreement electricity and water were restored to the affected homes and the Protestant community agreed to resume contributions to community funds The government also agreed to terminate a criminal investigation against those responsible for the displacement giving victims time to assess their properties and access state-sponsored aid programs if needed National Director of Impulso18 Pablo Vargas praised the resolution “We were gratified to learn the news of the agreement reached last week that has permitted the return of over 30 religious minority families to Coamila and Rancho Nuevo and we acknowledge the efforts of the state and new municipal governments to reach a solution that upholds freedom of religion or belief for all.” “The agreement brokered by the Hidalgo State and Huejutla Municipal governments and agreed to by the Coamila and Rancho Nuevo authorities and the displaced religious minority community serves as an example of what can be achieved in terms of protecting freedom of religion or belief and upholding Mexican law when there is political will and an investment of time and other resources on the part of the government.” Religious intolerance in these communities is influenced by the Law of Uses and Customs which allows indigenous communities to govern themselves in ways that sometimes conflict with national and international human rights standards While the Mexican Constitution guarantees freedom of religion or belief leading to recurring religious conflicts in regions like Rancho Nuevo and Coamila local authorities have pressured the Protestant minority to participate in Roman Catholic festivals and practices escalating to significant human rights violations The persecution of Christians in Mexico has also increased due to drug cartel violence with Mexico climbing the ranks on its World Watch List Open Doors USA President and CEO David Curry previously told The Christian Post that traditionalist Catholics often persecute Mexican Christians This persecution resembles "clan violence," similar to small rural groups practicing ancient folk religions around the world Search150 Christians forcibly displaced in Mexico pressured to accept illegal agreementThe Christian Post 2024Getty Images A group of over 150 Protestant Christians have been forcibly displaced from their communities in Mexico’s Hidalgo state and government officials are pressuring them to sign an agreement that violates human rights protections under Mexican law according to a U.K.-based persecution watchdog During a press conference this week, Pastor Rogelio Hernández Baltazar and church leader Nicolás Hernández Solórzano expressed their refusal to accept the agreement pushed by the municipal government of Huejutla de los Reyes, Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported The agreement would allow local leaders responsible for the mass forced displacement to impose fines of 150,000 Mexican Pesos (roughly $9,000) on the victims and permit other families to return under severe restrictions on their freedom of religion or belief Members of the Great Commission Baptist Church initially found shelter in the Municipal Presidency building and were later moved to another location As the municipal government ceased providing essential supplies they have been dependent on humanitarian aid and food provided by local churches The group includes 75 children and infants and the initial support provided was grossly insufficient to meet their needs Human rights violations linked to freedom of religion have been severe in the neighboring villages of Coamila and Rancho Nuevo since 2015 Local authorities have repeatedly attempted to force the religious minority to participate in Roman Catholic religious festivals including financial donations and acts of worship Despite detailed documentation of these incidents the municipal government denies that these incidents are tied to religion “The position of the Huejutla de los Reyes Municipal Government is indefensible,” CSW’s Head of Advocacy they make themselves complicit in the ongoing egregious violations of freedom of religion or belief in Coamila and Rancho Nuevo This is unacceptable in a democratic country like Mexico which guarantees freedom of religion or belief for all in its constitution and the international human rights conventions to which it is party.” The group of displaced Christians has grown to over 150 with several individuals who were working outside the villages at the time of displacement not permitted to return home Local Protestant churches in Huejutla de los Reyes are providing humanitarian aid and have joined in calling for government intervention to protect the displaced individuals’ rights In December 2022, a church member was hospitalized in critical condition after being tied to a tree and beaten by village leaders, according to a previous report by CSW The plight of the displaced Baptists is dire Despite seeking sanctuary in the municipal seat of Huejutla de los Reyes and requesting government action they continue to face significant challenges The issue is compounded by the broader context of religious intolerance in Hidalgo government officials publicly denied the existence of religious intolerance cases despite CSW’s research showing Hidalgo as having one of the highest numbers of such cases in the country like the one proposed to the displaced Baptists are often used in Mexico in place of proper justice mechanisms These agreements violate the rights of religious minorities and are used to enforce religious uniformity Evangelical families in Huejutla de los Reyes were forced to sign a similar agreement renouncing their right to hold religious services under threat of being cut off from essential services If the state government refuses to protect the rights of religious minorities, the federal government must intervene, Stangl said earlier