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“We cannot grow accustomed to violence,” Mexican bishops’ conference president says after Morelos killing
Bishop Ramón Castro Castro called for coordination among authorities to restore security and expressed support for the family of Cuernavaca City Council member Gabriel Rivas Ríos, who was killed on November 4.
THE CHURCH IN MEXICO
Ana Paula Morales (Poli)
11/6/20262 min read
PHOTO CAPTION: Bishop Ramón Castro Castro. Photo via social media.
CUERNAVACA, Mexico — Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca, president of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, called for an end to indifference toward violence following the killing of City Council member Gabriel Rivas Ríos in the capital of Morelos state.
“We cannot remain indifferent or grow accustomed to violence!” the bishop said in a message reported by Conexión Morelos. He expressed dismay at the killing and offered his support and prayers to the official’s family and loved ones.
Rivas Ríos, a Morena party member of the Cuernavaca City Council, was killed Wednesday, November 4, in an armed attack in Ejidos de Acapantzingo. According to Animal Político, the Morelos Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection confirmed the incident, and the state prosecutor’s office said it would pursue every line of inquiry to solve the crime.
In response, Bishop Castro urged authorities at all levels to strengthen their coordination to ensure peace in Morelos and throughout the country. His message linked the demand for security with the need to restore respect for life, tend to the wounds left by violence and work together to rebuild social coexistence.
The bishop’s appeal comes in a country that recorded an average of 42.2 intentional homicides a day in September 2026, according to figures presented by the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System and released by the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection. The federal government reported a 52% decrease from September 2024, when the daily average was 86.9.
In Morelos, the average was 1.8 intentional homicides a day in September 2026, according to an October 22 report by the state government using figures from the same executive secretariat. Authorities reported a 58% decline from November 2024, when the daily average was 4.3.
The bishop stressed society’s shared responsibility. La Unión de Morelos reported his warning about the danger of becoming accustomed to violent incidents and his call for people to unite in the face of families’ suffering.
Closing his message, the bishops’ conference president renewed his appeal for hope and community engagement. “Violence will never have the last word!” he said, according to Conexión Morelos.
