Catholic Church in Mexico Warns of Hundreds of Unauthorized Priests

Local church officials in Mexico have warned that hundreds of unauthorised priests have been operating in the country, according to the report. In one case described in the source, a family said a man had been performing funerals and was later identified by the cathedral authorities as a false priest. The family member quoted, Roberta, said the cathedral had issued a statement that the man had been conducting false masses in several places.

The report also says that some people advertise on social platforms such as Facebook, offering “quick certificates” for baptism and first communion for $30 to $100 instead of the usual religious instruction. According to the source, the Catholic Church does not recognise these shortcut ceremonies, and they must be repeated once the fraud is uncovered. The parents of one young victim, Paloma, said it was hard to accept that their daughter’s devotion had been exploited, adding that it trampled on a child’s innocence and goodness.

The source links the rise of impostors to a shortage of clergy. It states that, according to the Holy See, Mexico has an average of nearly 7,000 priests, who work more than three times as much as priests in Europe. A parish secretary quoted in the report, Ivarora, said there is a shortage of clergy across the world and described it as a crisis of faith.

Separately, the report describes a calendar featuring young men in black priestly robes, sold on the streets of Rome. Local media investigated and found that most of the models were not members of the clergy but ordinary people who had been recruited by photographers. One model, Galicia, said the photo shoot was fun but that the expression in the picture looked embarrassing.

The source also reports that some priests in Central and South America have turned to online platforms to reach younger Catholics, sharing videos on topics including faith, humour and mental health. A priest identified as Jasía said that because gatherings were impossible during the epidemic, the Church had to turn to the internet. The Vatican has called these online clerics “digital missionaries,” according to the report, and the Holy See has created a commission to provide training and ensure that they are overseen by their parish bishops. The source quotes an unnamed statement that the Church should step forward and help where online voices lack sufficient professional training.

In Ecuador, the report says, a priest was seriously injured last weekend when a large cross fell from a stage during a church event where he was speaking about the brevity of life. The incident was clearly recorded, according to the source.

The Vatican has published the first photographs of Pope XIV, identified in the report as the current Pope, from his lung cancer surgery, showing him presiding over Mass during his hospital stay. The Holy See says he is now fully autonomous in his daily activities. In Taiwan, the report adds, the highest honour at the 10th anniversary of a public interest award given by an education fund went to Father Ruther, who has served for 60 years. Protecting the vulnerable from those who exploit faith is the point the family’s account raises most directly (Mark 9:42).

Source: Read the original report (translated from Mandarin Chinese)