The early morning of February 3, 2022, Father Pablo López Martínez, LC, passed away in the city of Cancún, Mexico, due to health complications. Father Pablo, in his priestly ministry, served as a missionary in the Diocese of Cancún-Chetumal since 1974 when it was still a Prelature, and he held various responsibilities, including being the pastor of the Parish of the Immaculate Conception of Kantunilkin.

He was born in Arandas, Jalisco, on May 2, 1937. During his primary education, the teacher who taught him spoke of priestly missions in Africa, and from there, his interest in dedicating his life to Christ was born. He entered the Novitiate of the Legionaries of Christ in Rome on September 15, 1953. He was ordained deacon on January 15, 1967. On February 6, 1967, he was ordained a priest by Cardinal Paolo Marella in the chapel of the then “Maxim College” of the Legionaries of Christ in Rome (currently the Headquarters of the General Directorate).

Starting in 1974, he served pastorally as a missionary in the Kantunilkin region, a mission area where priestly presence has historically been scarce, and in which he was responsible for approximately 18 towns and villages that were part of his parish, the Immaculate Conception, including areas such as Holbox Island.

Since this area is a Mayan region within the current Diocese of Cancún-Chetumal, Father Pablo learned the Mayan language despite the difficulties of not finding the necessary books for it. He also faced the challenging mission of spiritually attending to 30 communities located nearby within the municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas, which he was responsible for ministering to, often visiting many of them only once a month.

In 2016, he was sent to León, Guanajuato, as a confessor at the Vocational Center (the minor seminary of the Legion) and as a chaplain at Colegio Mano Amiga until 2020, when he returned to Cancún.

In the early morning of February 3, 2022, he died due to respiratory failure. He was 84 years old and nearly 55 years a priest. He also has a nephew who is a Legionary of Christ, Father Juan Antonio Torres López.

In the following video, you can learn more about the evangelization work he carried out in the Diocese of Cancún-Chetumal.

Rest in peace!