Violence against religious leaders continues to plague Honduras.
On Saturday, 9 August, Pastor Wilmer Castellanos, 55, was brutally killed just moments before he was to take the pulpit to begin a service at the Alfa y Omega Church in the Las Flores community, according to El Periódico de Honduras.
Witness accounts say Castellanos was moments from beginning the service when a man, apparently under the influence of an unknown substance and hiding a machete, silently approached the pastor and attacked without warning. “He seemed out of his senses,” one witness told local media.
The assault left Castellanos with fatal injuries. Despite efforts by church members to rush him to a medical facility, doctors confirmed he had no signs of life upon arrival.
The motive remains unknown. Authorities have launched an investigation, and according to El Periódico, the suspect, reportedly a relative of the pastor, was arrested by National Police while attempting to flee, still carrying the machete.
Community in Shock Over Pastors’ Deaths
The killing of Pastor Wilmer Castellanos marks yet another case in a disturbing wave of violence suffered by religious leaders in Honduras.
In June this year alone, three pastors were killed in separate incidents. On 14 June, Elías Guardado, pastor of a church in Lempira, was found dead in a wooded area of the municipality. On 10 June, armed men shot and killed Yonis Zepeda at his home in Choluteca. Just four days earlier, on 6 June, religious leader Hipólito Montes was slain in his residence.
Castellanos’ death has also brought to light new threats against members of the clergy. According to Evangelio Digital, Mario Banegas, president of the Tegucigalpa Pastors’ Association (APT), has received death threats over his involvement in the upcoming “Prayer Walk” (Marcha de Oración), a Christian march in the Honduran capital to pray for the nation’s crisis.
Banegas said the threats arrived through fake social media accounts. Still, he remains undeterred, “I am sure that what I am doing is for the good of the country,” he affirmed.
Persistent Violence
Honduras remains under a state of exception, but despite heightened security measures, the country’s homicide rate remains among the highest in the region.
Between 1 January and 10 August of this year, 1,360 homicides were recorded nationwide, according to the Online Police Statistical System (Sepol). Authorities attribute much of the bloodshed to the expansion and entrenched presence of criminal gangs, known locally as maras, who are involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion.
Churches and religious leaders are often caught in the crossfire, facing harassment, threats, and persecution for refusing to collaborate with criminal groups or for promoting values that challenge the gangs’ control and economic interests.
Against this backdrop, Open Doors is assessing the recent killings to determine whether the victims were targeted for their faith, with the aim of providing support to their congregations and families.
Please pray:
- Pray for the family of Pastor Wilmer Castellanos, that God will comfort them in their grief and fill them with His peace.
- Pray for Pastor Mario Banegas and all Christian leaders facing threats for their ministry.
- Pray for courage and wisdom for those leading prayer and evangelism in hostile contexts.
- Pray authorities will investigate these crimes effectively and that violence in Honduras will subside.
- Pray for the strength of the Church, that it will remain steadfast and united in faith despite fierce persecution.
Stay updated with the latest prayer requests from the persecuted church.
