Mexico faces a growing network of fake priests offering unauthorized religious services to a population of more than 120 million Catholics, according to church officials across the country.
The Loaiza family discovered that an imposter had conducted a funeral service in December 2024. Roberta Loaiza grew suspicious during the ceremony when the officiant arrived wearing a cardinal’s cap and luxury brand shoes, Canal44 reported. He omitted parts of the liturgy and granted a general absolution. Elena D’Acosta, a family friend and practicing Catholic, also grew alarmed and contacted the Archdiocese of the City of Mexico.
Bishop Salvador González released a public statement cautioning that Romero was posing as a member of the clergy. No diocese in Mexico kept any documentation regarding him. Officials spanning nine Mexican archarchdioceses reported a growing prevalence of unlicensed ministers performing baptisms, weddings, patron-saint celebrations, funerals, and First Communions.
The Catholic Church warned by the presence of hundreds of fake priests in Mexico offering religious services, such as baptisms, weddings, first communions and funerals, despite lacking ecclesiastical authorization.
The family had paid Gayosso for the service. The company issued an apology and promised an investigation.
Online platforms have further complicated the issue. Grupo Milenio noted that Facebook Marketplace features numerous advertisements for express religious services and certificates priced between 30 and 100 dollars. Meta removed five advertisements and deactivated an associated group for violating policies that prohibit selling documents, though the company did not address enforcement efforts.
Church authorities attribute the rise of unauthorized ministers to a severe shortage of ordained clergy. Vatican data shows that Mexico has 17,331 priests, equating to roughly one for every 7,000 worshippers, a ratio more than triple that of Europe.
Seven Mexican dioceses reported that these fraudulent services expanded following the COVID-19 pandemic as families sought out clergy for sick relatives and funeral rites. María Magdalena de Ibarrola, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Mexico, estimated that hundreds of unauthorized individuals operate across the country.
Surgieron muchos falsos.
María Magdalena de Ibarrola, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Mexico
They want to have a Catholic ceremony if possible, but one that is not actually tied to everything that entails, such as having a liturgical act that must be presided over by an ordained minister.
Father Guillermo Gutiérrez, director of the Center for Studies on Family, Bioethics and Society at the Pontifical University of Mexico
José Tomás Sierra, known as Padre Chema, left the seminary in Toluca and later established the Parraquia de la Misericordia in 2009. Sierra said in 2019 that he was ordained within the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church, an organization that permits married clergy and rejects papal authority.
Sierra claimed that in 2019 he was ordained by the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Catholic Church, an organization that does not recognize the authority of the pope and allows the marriage of its clerics.
I’m a rebel priest, I’m very rebellious, I like to break the rules.
José Tomás Sierra, independent minister
The Archdiocese of Toluca maintains that Sierra holds no affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church. Church officials warn that sacraments performed by unauthorized individuals are invalid, leaving families with the prospect of repeating baptisms or weddings. Parishes have responded by implementing embossed seals and digitizing records dating back to the 1980s to prevent forgery.
