Catholic church bells across Mexico will ring out on June 20 as a powerful call to build peace and remember victims of violence, marking the fourth anniversary of the murders of Jesuit priests Javier Campos Morales and Joaquín César Mora Salazar.
In a statement released on June 14, the National Dialogue for Peace urged residents to place a “white ribbon or small flag” on doors of homes, schools, and workplaces on June 20, making visible their “commitment to peace, dialogue, reconciliation, or hope.” The group also called for “ringing church bells on June 20 at 3 p.m. as a call to all sectors of society to build peace and to renew our commitment to forming the community that Mexico needs today.”
Campos Morales and Mora Salazar were killed on June 20, 2022, inside their parish church in Cerocahui, Chihuahua, while trying to protect a man being pursued by a criminal. The organization also encouraged Mexicans to place photographs of missing persons on church altars during services on Sunday, June 21, and to offer special prayers for families searching for loved ones.
The National Dialogue for Peace, initiated after the Jesuits’ murder, includes the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, the Bishops’ Commission for the Laity, the Conference of Major Religious Superiors of Mexico, and the Society of Jesus in Mexico. “It’s a day to remember the suffering that we are standing against throughout Mexico and to call upon all sectors of society to redouble their efforts to sow peace,” the statement said.
Reflecting on progress since 2022, the organization noted that “building peace today entails healing the wound caused by the forced disappearance of loved ones, having concern for abandoned youth, and envisioning the institutional framework Mexico needs.”
