The Guadalajara Reporter

Sunday mass not sacrosanct for crooks

You might think a Sunday mass would be the last place to encounter the criminal class. 

According to Cardinal Jose Francisco Robles, the archbishop of Guadalajara, thieves frequently mingle with worshippers at religious services, looking for opportunities to practice their nefarious skills. A common stratagem, Robles says, is for the robber to look out for a female churchgoer who leaves her bag on the pew when she goes to take communion. 

The Cardinal says pickpockets and thieves are more commonly found at Sunday masses in downtown Guadalajara, where services are often filled to overflowing. He says priests have been briefed to warn parishioners that thieves may be active at Sunday masses.