Red bishop. Faith, social commitment and state surveillance in 1970-1983

Abstract

The objective of this work is to analyze the Mexican state's espionage against the Bishop of Cuernavaca, Morelos, Sergio Méndez Arceo, through reports from the Federal Security Directorate (DFS) between 1970 and 1983. Using this documentation, we will study the reports that agents sent to the director of intelligence services and to the Ministry of the Interior. These documents not only represent historical archives but also serve as evidence of the persecution of political-religious figures who championed marginalized sectors of society. Every mass, interview, trip, meeting, and statement made by Sergio Méndez Arceo against the government and the powerful elite was recorded by the DFS to be analyzed as a potential threat to the regime. The documentary analysis was triangulated with newspapers, articles, and chapters from specialized books on the subject to demonstrate that the systematic surveillance of regime opponents was a constant feature of public life in Mexico during the period of the so-called Dirty War (1964-1982). The methodology we use is descriptive and explanatory, aiming to construct a historical perspective on a little-studied event. The article sheds light on the relationship between intelligence practices, siege tactics, and the exercise of governmental authority in Mexico against its antagonists.