A Christian family of six and ten other relatives are facing hunger and illness in Chiapas, Mexico after local officials drove them from their land for non-compliance with a ‘traditionalist’ mix of indigenous pagan and Catholic rituals, it was reported at the end of October.
The family patriarch, identified only as Fernando H., put his trust in Christ in 2008, and soon local authorities began devising plans to pressure his family and force them to leave their native village (undisclosed for security reasons) near Las Margaritas, Christian news portal Noticiero Milamex reported.
Will not renounce Christ
The family head has steadfastly refused to renounce his faith in Christ, leading to eight years of death threats, incarceration and 32,000 pesos (US$1,725) in fines to free family members from jail, culminating in August when local authorities expelled the family from the village.
‘We will never leave the Word of God, because we know a living God’, he said. ‘We will continue fighting.’
Having left their farmland and relocated to Las Margaritas, where the extended family is crammed into a small, rented house, they have lost their source of income and have yet to find jobs. The family would like to sell their land but have been offered only 30,000 pesos (US$1,616) for the 22 hectares (about 54 acres).
Their economic situation is so precarious that they can hardly find food for everyone. One of the children has severe malnutrition and seems to be two months old rather than two years old. Various family members have serious health problems but no resources to go to a doctor.
In May local officials arrested the family head’s 22-year-old son, later jailed two other sons ages 18 and 14, and finally also put his wife and youngest son in the primitive, wooden facility. Even with loans, the patriarch was unable to come up with the 6,000 pesos (US$323) authorities demanded for their release.
Officials poured 20 litres of gasoline around the jail. They used up a book of matches trying without success to set them on fire. The family members were later released. Drug cartels have targeted ‘those Christians who actively engage in social transformation and therefore constitute a threat to the hegemony of this engine’s drivers.’
