Hidalgo parish priest Fr. Román de la Cruz Hernández found shot dead; bishops seek full investigation

Fr. Román de la Cruz Hernández, 48, parish priest of Santa Cruz in the Diocese of Huejutla, was found dead on the morning of Tuesday, September 15, 2026, along the Tolago–Tetlapaya highway in Lolotla, Hidalgo, Agenzia Fides, Infobae, and ACI Prensa reported. Hidalgo’s state prosecutor’s office (PGJEH) opened a homicide investigation, Infobae said. Those accounts said he had gunshot wounds. Fides said he was born July 28, 1978, in Mazahuacán, municipality of Lolotla, ordained December 18, 2006, and had been Santa Cruz’s first diocesan parish priest since September 2024; he also coordinated the diocese’s Commission for Prophetic Pastoral Ministry. Infobae placed the discovery at the Lolotla–Tlanchinol boundary. Sources reported a burgundy Toyota Tacoma with Baja California plates nearby, and an intimidating note — Fides described a cardboard sign found near the body; Infobae said a card was attached to his back. Authorities had not released the note’s text, those outlets said, and had not stated a motive.

The Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) and the Diocese of Huejutla condemned the killing and demanded a thorough investigation, ACI Prensa, Fides, and Infobae reported. ACI Prensa dated the CEM statement September 16. Fides said it was signed by Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca, CEM president, and Auxiliary Bishop Héctor M. Pérez Villarreal of Mexico, secretary general. Bishop José Hiraís Acosta Beltrán of Huejutla urged the faithful not to speculate so that investigators could work and report, those accounts said. He also asked authorities to investigate and said the crime should not go unpunished. This brief records the homicide and those calls for an investigation. Motive remains unconfirmed.

Infobae reported that on August 14, 2026, diocesan spokesman Jesús Morfín had warned parishioners about phone-hacking extortion in which callers impersonated priests. The same Infobae account said authorities had not reported that Fr. Román was a victim of that scheme and had not linked the August warning to this homicide. This brief does not treat that earlier diocesan alert as a cause.