Archbishop José Francisco González González warns Catholics about fake priests in Archdiocese of Tuxtla Gutiérrez

Archbishop José Francisco González González has warned Catholics in the Archdiocese of Tuxtla Gutiérrez about individuals posing as priests or Church representatives to collect money for parishes.

In one recent incident in Villaflores, a man claimed to be a priest and used a bank terminal to collect what he described as donations. The archdiocese later determined the man had no authorization from the Church to conduct the collection. Similar unauthorized requests for money in the name of specific parishes have also been reported at private homes in Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

Catholic communities have used social media to alert parishioners that these fundraising appeals are not authorized. Archbishop González urged the faithful not to respond automatically to religious fundraising requests, regardless of how convincing the person making the appeal may seem.