The bishops of Guatemala condemned the violence that happened on 17 December 2021, in Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán, Sololá; and they prayed for the victims of the massacre of at least one police officer and 19 wounded who were attacked by criminals.
The Bishops called on the people to dialogue, work and pray for peace, after the recent violent events that left people dead and injured in the municipalities of Nahualá and Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán, Sololá.
On January 8, the Episcopal Conference of Guatemala published a statement signed by Mons. Gonzalo de Villa y Vásquez, Archbishop of Santiago de Guatemala and president of the Episcopal Conference of Guatemala (CEG); and Mons. Antonio CalderĂłn Cruz, Bishop of San Francisco de AsĂs de Jutiapa and Secretary General of the CEG.
In their message, the bishops spoke about the murder of 13 people, including 3 children and a police officer, on December 17, a massacre occurred during a series of clashes between the municipalities of Nahualá and Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán, Sololá, which originated from an old territorial dispute that dates back to 1863.
On December 20, the president of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei, declared both territories under a “state of siege”; that is, under “certain restrictions on constitutional guarantees when there are serious problems, where security and public order are strongly affected.”
In their message, entitled “Where is your brother Abel?”, The Guatemalan bishops expressed their concern over “the incidents of increasing violence, polarization and conflict” that have caused “numerous deaths” of local residents.
The bishops regretted, in particular, the death of “innocent children, women and people who only honestly sought the sustenance of their families”, and of “members of the public order forces who have been assassinated.”
The prelates prayed that God grant eternal rest to the deceased and strength to their families.