TIJUANA State authorities are investigating the disappearance of a Catholic priest from a church in the city's La Mesa district.
The State Attorney General's office identified the missing cleric as Salvador Ruiz Enciso, 51, who served in the church Divino Rostro de Jesús. The agency offered no details in the case.
A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Tijuana said the priest was reported missing on Monday after church staff went to his house, which was in a state of chaos, but did not find him.
"Archbishop Rafael Romo is very worried by this situation," said Lucina Reyes.
Ruiz Enciso was ordained on June 21, 1984, the spokeswoman said. He worked at the San Isidro Labrador temple in the community Ejido Chilpancingo, in the city's east side, before beginning at his current church, located the Cortez neighborhood. It's not clear when that assignment began.
The priest is known for using marionettes as part of his Mass to help explain passages of the Bible to children, the spokeswoman said.
Crimes against priests are rare in this city. In 2005, a Catholic priest, Luis Velázquez Romero, 51, was shot to death. His body, with hands tied behind his back, was found inside his car near the Plaza Fiesta shopping center.
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