MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥 Mexico鈥檚 presidential candidates on Monday signed a commitment for peace with Catholic Church leaders that proposes strategies to reduce the violence in the country.
During the meeting led by the Episcopal Conference of Mexico, presidential front-runner and ruling party candidate said she would be open to dialogue but didn't accept several criticisms of President Andr茅s Manuel L贸pez Obrador's security strategy made by the religious leaders.
鈥淚 do not share the pessimistic evaluation of the current moment,鈥 said Sheinbaum, who contended that not all Mexicans feel fear, distrust or uncertainty, as the church said in a document previously shared with all three candidates.
Sheinbaum said homicides dropped during the presidency of L贸pez Obrador. But organized crime has long controlled swaths of Mexico through violence and corruption. It has diversified beyond drug trafficking in recent years, extorting businesses big and small for protection payments.
According to the church leaders, Mexico suffers from a 鈥渄eep crisis of violence and social decomposition.鈥
The church鈥檚 first criticism of the government鈥檚 security strategy arose in 2022, when priests in the north of the country shook the public opinion and the ecclesiastical hierarchy.
These concerns were discussed in 2023 during a 鈥満蒙玹v Peace Dialogue鈥 that brought together civil society, academics, violence victims and businesspeople who searched for solutions to achieve justice, security and peace.
Monday's document is titled 鈥満蒙玹v Commitment to Peace鈥 and brings together policies aimed at fighting Mexico's chronic violence.
The relationship between L贸pez Obrador and the Catholic Church has been tense ever since the murder of the Jesuits priests. Bishop Ram贸n Castro, secretary general of the Episcopal Conference, said last week that he wished for a deeper dialogue between the president and the church.
During her speech on Monday, opposition candidate criticized the increased in Mexico and recalled that eight priests have been murdered during Lopez Obrador鈥檚 presidency.
鈥淚 will make all these proposals my own,鈥 said G谩lvez of the commitment to peace. 鈥淚 am convinced that the churches, and particularly the Catholic Church, to which I belong, play a fundamental role in building peace.鈥
Among her proposals to confront Mexico's violence, Galvez said she would improve the working conditions of police, prosecutors and judges.
鈥淎 problem of this magnitude requires everyone鈥檚 participation,鈥 G谩lvez said.
Jorge 脕lvarez M谩ynez, a little-known congressman running for the presidency for Mexico鈥檚 small Citizen鈥檚 Movement, also expressed support for the church leaders and addressed L贸pez Obrador鈥檚 strategy of 鈥 .鈥
鈥淭hey told us that we didn鈥檛 have to worry because they (the criminals) were only going to kill each other,鈥 脕lvarez M谩ynez said. 鈥淏ut they were wrong.鈥
In February, bishops of Guerrero, one of the most violent states in Mexico, in an attempt to stop the wave of violence that afflicts its population.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP鈥檚 with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
