Mexico: 150 Baptist Christians Face Displacement for Their Faith

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A group of 150 Baptist Christians in Mexico have been pressured by the government to sign an agreement that would allow officials to forcibly displace them from their communities on account of their faith and refusal to engage in local religious practices to which they do not adhere, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports.

While the main religion in Mexico is Catholicism, the country has a secular government. It ranks 37 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.

Representing the 150 Christians facing displacement by Mexican authorities, Pastor Rogelio Hernández Baltazar and church leader Nicolás Hernández Solórzano said during a press conference on May 15 that they oppose a proposal by the municipality of Huetutla de los Reyes in Hidalgo State to allow for their mass forced displacement from the villages of Coamila and Rancho Nuevo, CSW reports. The Christians are members of the Great Commission Baptist Church, a minority faith group that has been subjected to freedom of religion or belief violations since 2015.

“Human rights violations linked to freedom of religion or beliefs have been ongoing and severe in the neighboring villages of Coamila and Rancho Nuevo since 2015,” CSW said in its report. “Local authorities have repeatedly attempted to force members of the religious minority to participate in Roman Catholic religious festivals, including through financial donations, lighting candles, and actively participating in acts of worship.”

“Despite detailed documentation of the case dating back to 2015, the municipal government continues to deny that the incidents in Rancho Nuevo and Coamila are linked to Freedom of Religion or Belief,” CSW said.

Latest Worthy News