Mexico: Shooting leaves at least seven dead in the center of the country

Mexican authorities reported that a shooting left seven dead Monday in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, one of the most violent in the country, some of them minors.

The attack, which occurred around 2 a.m. local time in a plaza in the community of San Bartolo de Berrios, in the municipality of San Felipe, was condemned by the Mexican Catholic Church, which expressed "deep pain and dismay" over the crime.

Authorities are investigating the case.

Local police found the bodies of the seven people and a damaged pickup truck after responding to reports of gunfire, the local government said in a statement.

The agents also found two banners with messages alluding to the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel, which operates in the area, according to the report prepared by the uniformed officers.

"The bishops of Mexico raise our voices in the face of the tragedy that occurred in the community of San Bartolo de Berrios," the Mexican Episcopal Conference said in a statement.

This is not the first time that the Mexican Catholic Church has made a statement on the criminal violence that has struck the country. Last December, the institution called on the violent cartels to declare a truce.

"As pastors of the people of God, we cannot remain indifferent to the spiral of violence that lacerates so many communities in our country," the Episcopate added about the massacre, "one more among so many that are repeated with painful frequency" in Mexico.

"It is an alarming sign of the weakening of the social fabric, impunity, and the absence of peace in vast regions of our nation," added the statement.

Guanajuato is an industrial and tourist center where automakers such as Mazda and Toyota are based.

It is also the scene of clashes between the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel, designated as a "terrorist organization" by the United States, and the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel.