Fr. Jose Carlos Contreras, SDB - Padre Inocente

I am preparing a post on this story of a Salesian priest, Fr. Jose Carlos Contreras, SDB, who has been falsely convicted of the rape and murder of a young girl in Mexico.  That anyone is unjustly convicted of such a crime is enough for me to outraged, but that he is a brother Salesian and priest; that I lived with Fr. Jose Carlos for a couple of months when I first arrived in Guadalajara in 1998, makes this personal.  Please pray for him, the victim of this terrible crime, Itzachel Shantal, whose killer still goes free.  

While I continue to write, here's a report to get you all up to speed from Fr. Eric Wyckoff, SDB, our "Man in Guadalajara," written for our own in house newsletter:  

MEXICAN SALESIAN SCAPEGOAT IN TRAGIC MURDER CASE

 
On November 23, a Mexican judge declared Fr. José Carlos Contreras, SDB of the Guadalajara (MEG) province guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced him to 33 years in prison. 

On the morning of October 22, 2007, the body of 16-year-old Itzachel Shantal González was found at the Instituto Carlos Gómez, a Salesian school in the city of San Luis Potosí. The subsequent police investigation yielded no hard evidence, but Fr. José Carlos was named as the prime suspect simply because he had been seen in the school building during the preceding weekend. Thus, in accordance with Mexican law (which does not include trials, juries or verdicts) Father has been in a state penitentiary since 2009. During these two years of incarceration, evidence presented by defense lawyers has not convinced the judge of his innocence, resulting in the pronouncement of the sentence, which is now being appealed to a higher court.

Unfortunately, violence has become all too commonplace in Mexico. The kidnappings, shootouts and executions that claim so many victims can result from botched drug deals, failure to pay “protection money” or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Organized crime often “sends messages” to individuals by targeting their family members. It seems that both Itzachel (stepdaughter of a government official) and Fr. José Carlos are innocent victims of such a “message.”

The judge's sentence was issued on November 23, the liturgical feast of Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, a Jesuit who was martyred during the persecutions of the Church following the Mexican Revolution. In another case of unjust condemnation, Blessed Miguel Agustin was accused of conspiring to assassinate the President of Mexico and executed by firing squad in 1927. In the Gospel read at Mass (Wednesday of the 34^th Week), Jesus tells his followers, "They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name” (Lk 21:12).  No one hated Blessed Miguel Agustín, just as no one hates Fr. José Carlos. There are, unfortunately, those who hate the Church, and the way we bear up under persecution is of the utmost importance. It was the way Jesus died on the cross that prompted the centurion in charge of his execution to proclaim,“Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mk 15:39). 

Please remember Itzachel, Fr. José Carlos and the Salesian Family of Mexico in your prayers.
 

For our Spanish speaking audience here's a link to even more detailed information from the official website set up to spread the news about Fr. Jose Carlos.  More coming soon.