An Argentinian priest has been transferred from his parish due to repeated threats from drug traffickers, reports Agenzia Fides.
His bishop, Fernando Carlos Maletti, made the decision to transfer Father Eduardo Farrell due to the continued threat of violence in the Sagrado Corazon parish of Merlo-Morena diocese, 25 miles west of Buenos Aires.
His church had been active in the prevention of drug addiction, and Monsignor Maletti cited that this work had led to conflict with the “interests of those who only seek territorial power and profit at any cost with illegal activities and suspicious complicity”.
He added that, despite threats, the Church in Argentina is committed “to work with our brothers and sisters who ask, with all reason and justice, their right to a dignified life”.
As World Watch Monitor has previously reported, Christians in Latin America – especially in Mexico and Colombia – often come under pressure for their stance against organised crime and corruption.
Another Argentinian, Baptist Pastor Marcelo Nieva, from the state of Córdoba, continues to seek justice in the courts over an attempt on his life in a gun attack in October 2014, and claims that his church has suffered years of religious persecution at the hands of the local authorities.