A Protestant pastor in Mexico was detained and ultimately exiled by his uncle from his community in the state of Oaxaca after refusing to kneel and pray to a Roman Catholic saint during a local festival in mid-January.
Last year, Mariano Velásquez Martínez, pastor of the 25-member Iglesia Camino Nuevo y Vivo, was assigned the role of mayordomo, the person tasked with organizing and facilitating religious rites in a community. The role is traditionally held by adherents to Roman Catholicism, the predominant religion in Mexico.
According to the U.K.-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Martínez begrudgingly agreed to take on the role with the understanding he would only be required to provide candles and flowers. However, on Jan. 15, he was reportedly ordered to light candles and then kneel before an image of St. James the Apostle.
Order Amanda Grace’s New Book, “Brace For Impact” on Amazon.com!
The evangelical pastor refused to do so on religious grounds, explaining it would violate his Protestant beliefs, which led another mayordomo to report Martínez to local authorities, who jailed the preacher — a native of Oaxaca — for five days.
After his detention, Martínez was bound with rope and taken before an assembly of roughly 180 men — including his uncle and his cousin — where he was forced to sign a vaguely worded document confirming his expulsion from the community. The pastor was not given a copy of the paper and fears it could be used in the future to suggest he left the community of Santiago Malacatepec voluntarily.
Martínez, his wife, and their 3-month-old baby have since fled the area and are living with relatives in Oaxaca City.
Pablo Vargas, CSW country director for Mexico, told CBN News this case is part of a “culture” and “pattern” in Mexico of religious persecution against evangelical Christians.
“Some persons, they decide to not follow the majority religion, and they suffer the consequences,” he explained. “For the community, it’s more important, the uniformity, than actually the practical right for the persons to believe [as they choose].”
Vargas asserted that, even if Martínez seeks legal recourse, it would not be safe for him and his family to return to Santiago Malacatepec. In fact, in cases like this, he said, the vast majority of those who face persecution never return home because local outrage against them makes living there too perilous.
“His life is gonna be at risk,” he said.
To read the full story, visit our content partners at CBN News.
Reprinted with permission from cbn.com. Copyright © 2026 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.
