Members of the CPT Mexico team joined over 250 members of Las Abejas (the
Bees) in a five-hour prayer procession through and around Acteal on Friday,
June 4.

The Mesa Directiva (Leadership Council) of the Bees invited CPTers to help
plan the procession, which was a direct response to threats of renewed
paramilitary organizing in the region. Paramilitary supporters have
threatened to wipe out the Bees once and for all in the face of their
continued efforts to bring to justice those responsible for the December 22,
1997 massacre of 45 Bees.

Led by drums, guitars, and a traditional Mayan string trio, the ceremony
began with a steep climb to the Cross of Acteal, a sacred site where Mayans
have prayed for generations. Together, CPTers, Bees, and other
internationals joined in prayer, scripture reading, and music.

The passage from Luke 4:16-30, Jesus' inaugural speech, was
chosen for its relevance to the Bees' own situation. For standing firm in
the search for justice and liberation, they are maligned and threatened with
violence by neighbors in their own township.

The head catechist spontaneously decided to re-read the Luke passage at the
second site, the Cross of Takiokum, which stands close to the homes of
nearby paramilitary supporters and a military "civic action" camp, saying
"The PRIistas (government party supporters) and soldiers need to hear this."

The final three sites, within the camp of Acteal, brought the plea for peace
home in a very poignant way. CPTers joined in leading prayers for God's
protection and the strength to continue firm in the path of pacifism and
nonviolence. As many as were able crowded into the wooden chapel where
the massacre began in December 1997, then descended to the memorial building
where the martyrs of Acteal are buried. The five-hour ceremony ended
beneath the large canopy covering the open-air church in the center of
Acteal where vigilers read the 23rd Psalm and sang "We are Marching in the
Light of God" in Tzotzil and Spanish.