Cathedrals, churches in Mexico vandalized during International Women’s Day marches
Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Most Holy Mary of Guadalajara after the International Women’s Day march on March 8, 2025. / Credit: Archdiocese of Guadalajara ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 11, 2025 / 16:45 pm (CNA).
During marches held March 8 to commemorate International Women’s Day, various Catholic cathedrals and churches in Mexico were vandalized with graffiti on their walls and damage to their structures.
In the state of Jalisco, the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Most Holy Mary in Guadalajara was tagged with graffiti on its walls with slogans in favor of abortion and attacking the Catholic Church.
In central Mexico, San José Cathedral in Toluca was another of the churches attacked by feminist groups, who placed a green cloth — the color adopted by the abortion movement — on its exterior gate. Some of the statues in niches in the cathedral’s outside walls were also vandalized.
In Morelos, also in the central region, videos were posted on social media showing people trying, without success, to tear down the protective fencing in front of the Cuernavaca Cathedral.
In Oaxaca, in the country’s southeast, participants in the march sprayed graffiti on the walls of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. A video posted on social media shows an attempt to set fire to the main door.
Archbishops call for respect and dialogue
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Expectation in the state of San Luis Potosí also suffered damage during the demonstrations.
In a press conference, Archbishop Jorge Alberto Cavazos Arizpe lamented what happened; however, he pointed out that the Catholic Church is even more grieved by “the mistreatment of people.”
“It definitely grieves us a lot that buildings and emblematic areas should be mistreated, and this should not be, but as the Lord Jesus shows, offending a person is more serious,” Cavazos said.
The BBC reported that according to the Secretariat for Citizen Security of Mexico CIty, 81 women were injured during disturbances, of whom 62 were female police officers and 19 were civilians. Nine of these officers and one civilian were taken to the hospital and were listed in stable condition.
Cardinal José Francisco Robles Ortega, archbishop of Guadalajara, acknowledged that protest is a legitimate right but pointed out that it must be carried out with “respect for society, respect for the buildings that are part of the nation’s heritage, respect for people’s property.”
At the same time, he asked the authorities to prevent, as far as possible, “these things from happening.”
Infobae reported that 200,000 marchers participated in the event in Mexico City, that government buildings in various cities were also attacked, and that the women were protesting crimes such as domestic violence, femicide, and rape.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
