Cardinal delivers a speech during a religious ceremony, surrounded by clergy members and a large screen displaying his image.

Cardinal delivers a speech during a religious ceremony, surrounded by clergy members and a large screen displaying his image.

Mexico’s security crisis has reached a shocking new level in the state of Morelos. Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca, who also serves as president of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, publicly denounced that organized crime groups are now extorting poor families merely for remaining inside their own homes.

The alarming statement was delivered during the XII Walk for Peace held in Cuernavaca, where thousands of citizens dressed in white marched to demand security and an end to the violence devastating the region.

During the event, Castro revealed that criminal organizations in the community of Huautla, located in the municipality of Tlaquiltenango, have imposed illegal “protection payments” on residents who already struggle to survive in one of the poorest areas of Morelos.

“The criminal organizations have reached a level of cruelty beyond comprehension. They charge extortion fees simply for living there, for having a house. They no longer charge only businesses — they charge people for existing,” Castro declared before parishioners and members of the press.

The bishop’s remarks reinforce longstanding accusations from residents who claim organized crime has expanded throughout Morelos while authorities fail to regain control.

Castro further disclosed that threats have become so severe that the parish priest of San Francisco de Asís Church in Huautla was forced to flee the community after receiving direct death threats from cartel-linked groups.

Castro also warned that violence in Morelos can no longer be minimized or hidden behind official rhetoric. He stressed that the state continues to suffer from high levels of insecurity, homicide, extortion, and political violence.

Several national outlets reported that during the peace march the bishop insisted that “lying about reality is also a form of violence,” referring to what many residents view as government attempts to downplay the deteriorating security situation.

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The post Morelos Families Extorted by Cartels Simply for Living in Their Homes as Bishop Ramón Castro Warns Organized Crime Has Taken Control appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.