Mexican diocese withdraws nuns from violent city

MEXICO CITY – The Roman Catholic diocese where two priests were killed earlier this month has withdrawn all nuns from the hyper-violent city of Chilapa in southern Mexico.

The diocese said in a statement that the parents of one of the nuns had been killed and that their school had to close for several months last year due to threats from drug gangs that operate in the area.

The nuns ran one of the oldest and most respected schools in Chilapa. The church did not specify how many nuns were involved, but local media said there were four.

The diocese openly called on the gangs not to hurt children's education, and said it would try to find others to run the school.

Chilapa has been hit by waves of gang killings.