Gunmen in Mexico have shot dead a Catholic priest who was an outspoken advocate for indigenous rights and who had condemned the violence plaguing his community. Father Marcelo Pérez was killed after celebrating Mass in the southern state of Chiapas on Sunday, the prosecutor's office said.

Dramatic scenes unfolded after a mass in Mexico, where drug cartels murdered Father Marcelo Perez. The Jesuit was known for combating violence and drug addiction. This brutal crime was condemned by the country's president,

A Mexican Catholic priest was killed on Sunday in the southern state of Chiapas after officiating a mass, his religious order and authorities said, marking the latest death in a recent wave of violence in the area.

Rev. Marcelo Pérez was shot dead by two gunmen when he was in his van, just after he had finished celebrating Mass, the state prosecutors' office said.

Two assailants on a motorcycle fired at Father Marcelo Pérez Pérez, 41, who was found dead inside a vehicle in the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas.