A Mexican bishop has credited the Virgin Mary with saving his life when gunmen opened fire on his vehicle during a pastoral visit to one of the country’s most dangerous regions.

Bishop José de Jesús González Hernández, who now leads the Diocese of Chilpancing–Chilapa in the region of Guerrero, recounted the incident during his homily at Sunday Mass in Chilapa’s Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 10 August.

The attack, he said, took place during the early days of his episcopal ministry in the Prelature of Jesús María–El Nayar, where he served from 2010 to 2022.