The petition, entitled “Holy Father Leo XIV, We Beg You To Restore
Legality To The Basilica Of Guadalupe And To Remove The Illegal Rector
Who Is Under Canonical Investigation” that was shared with LifeSiteNews
asked the supreme pontiff to intervene in Father Efraín Hernández Díaz’s
recent reinstatement as rector, alleging that Cardinal Carlos Aguiar
Retes, the archbishop of Mexico City and primate of Mexico who
reinstated the priest, has largely ignored their concerns.
CitizenGo, a Spain-based conservative advocacy group that publishes petitions promoting life, family, and freedom, initially launched the petition on its website, but has since taken it down, citing legal liability concerns, in exclusive comments to LifeSite.
The petition stemmed from Fr. Díaz’s reinstatement as rector of one of the most visited Marian shrines in the world despite the shrine’s own Chapter of Canons (the official council of senior priests who advise the rector and help govern the national shrine) having presented evidence of “links to organized crime groups (money laundering),” death threats, intimidation, workplace harassment, and serious financial irregularities.
Petition’s allegations against Díaz
“We, the undersigned, are writing to you to implore your immediate intervention to put a stop to the arbitrary actions and irregularities that have recently taken place under the leadership of Rector Rev. Efraín Hernández Díaz at the Catholic Shrine of the Insigne y Nacional Basilica de Guadalupe in Mexico City,” the faithful’s petition begins.
The petition noted how Díaz had become the Basilica’s rector in 2023 and highlighted how the priest quickly began mishandling funds and other crimes.
“(O)n 26 November 2023 he took office as Rector of the Basilica of Guadalupe; from that moment onwards, irregularities began regarding the handling of funds, mistreatment of staff, as well as the commercialization of private visits to the chamber where the sacred original image of Our Most Holy Mother is kept,” the signatories wrote.
“Unfortunately, since Father Efraín took charge of the Basilica of Guadalupe, a series of irregularities and acts have occurred within its premises that could be classified as criminal offences and violations of canon and civil law,” they added.
The petition underscored Díaz’s removal as rector in September 2025 after a formal complaint made against the priest during two meetings.
As previously reported by LifeSiteNews, the Basilica’s Chapter of Canons’ formal complaint against Fr. Díaz, dated September 19, 2025, described a grave picture of misconduct at the heart of the national shrine.
The senior priests warned that the rector’s actions were jeopardizing the proper financial management of the Basilica’s assets (in violation of Articles 21 to 30 of the Shrine’s own statutes) and its legal status as a public ecclesiastical entity.
Among the most serious accusations listed in the document were:
irresponsible management of the Basilica’s finances and assets;
removal of confidential documentation, bank statements, property records, and confidential employee data;
contracts with individuals and companies of dubious tax and financial standing;
“links to organized crime groups (money laundering)”;
intimidation by these individuals, including death threats, workplace and psychological harassment — actions the canons said could trigger a potential scandal both within and outside the Church.
The complaint further stated that the rector showed “lack of judgment and psychological and spiritual disorder,” allegedly being “advised by third parties who are part of these corrupt groups of power and evil,” and explicitly requested that Fr. Hernández not be allowed to return as rector or as a canon of the Basilica of Guadalupe, warning that his reinstatement “would bring a wave of vengeance and desolation.”
Verbal testimony previously shared with LifeSite adds another troubling element. Fr. Díaz had earlier installed private armed guards on every floor of the Basilica to protect the reinstated rector without informing the priests. The canons say they have felt intimidated and threatened ever since.
Cardinal Aguiar had accepted the gravity of the accusations at the time. On September 20, 2025, he issued two official decrees (817/2025 and 890/2025) removing Fr. Hernández from the rectorship. A formal, preliminary canonical investigation (IP 17/2025) was then opened, and the international auditing firm Deloitte was commissioned to conduct a comprehensive financial audit of the shrine.
Cardinal Aguiar’s reversal, reinstatement, and alleged ignoring of concerns
However, the petition described how, less than a month later in October 2025, Aguiar invalidated the previous protocols (817 and 818/2025) but ordered the canonical investigation to proceed. The petition also accuses the primate of Mexico of downplaying the facts, reclassifying them “from serious to merely irregular.”
The petition notes that in November 2025 the Chapter reiterated the need to remove Fr. Díaz as rector, citing the Statutes of the Shrine and the Chapter. Two days later, the Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) met to address the situation, during which concerns were raised about the legal status of the Sanctuary due to the priest’s alleged crimes.
“At that meeting, explicit agreement was reached on the council’s request: Father Efraín Hernández Díaz must not return as Rector nor remain a member of the council,” the petition stated. “The Mexican Episcopal Conference proposed an external audit, and the Holy See proposed the initiation of a canonical process against Fr Efraín; the urgency of financial transparency and the protection of those under threat was emphasized.”
The petition signatories stressed how, in April 2026, it was believed that the canonical investigation would be unfavorable to Díaz. However, just over a month, on May 24, the feast of Pentecost, “Without any basis, without reaching any agreements, and without disclosing the results of the canonical process and the audit,” Cardinal Aguiar reinstated Díaz as rector.
“In an act of authoritarianism, without having consulted other bodies, reinstated Fr. Efraín to the post of Rector, against the opinion of the Guadalupe chapter and without informing the President of the CEM and the Apostolic Nuncio of this arbitrary decision, arguing that the results of the canonical investigation and the Deloitte audit showed no grounds for preventing Fr. Efraín should resume his role as rector,” the signatories wrote.
The petition notes that on May 27, during a meeting between Bishop Ramón Castro, the president of the CEM, and the Chapter, it was disclosed that both the CEM and the nunciature had advised Aguiar against Díaz’s reinstatement, but the recommendations were ignored.
The next day, on May 28, the cardinal told the Chapter during a meeting that Díaz would only be retained “on a temporary basis,” and even admitted that there were matters “that were not right” and that would need to be resolved in accordance with the Deloitte audit.
In addition to the accusations listed in the petition, political commentator Pedro Ferriz de Con, during a May 27 live broadcast on his YouTube channel, described the ordeal as “systematic theft of alms” at the Basilica.
A column published by InfoVaticana the same day under the byline SPECOLA goes even further, claiming that “narcos have entered the Basilica” and that regular bribe payments and hidden expenses are reaching Cardinal Aguiar himself.
These additional accusations remain unverified by LifeSiteNews.
The petition concluded by calling on Pope Leo, Archbishop Joseph Spiteri, the Apostolic Nuncio in Mexico, and Bishop Castro to immediately remove Fr. Díaz from office due to his “ill repute and the damage he has caused to the Basilica of Guadalupe, and which he will continue to cause whilst he remains rector of the most important Marian shrine in the Americas.”
“Holy Father, it is in your hands to remedy this injustice; we trust in your wisdom as Supreme Shepherd. Long live Christ the King and Our Lady of Guadalupe!” the petition concluded.
Petition’s removal from CitizenGo
The petition has since been removed from CitizenGo’s website. Caroline Farrow, the Global campaign manager for CitizenGo’s English-speaking site, told LifeSite this was due to concerns around the organization’s liability, given the serious accusations in the petition that have yet to be proved.
“(T)he petition has now been taken down. The reason is straightforward platform liability,” Farrow said. “Although we allow third parties to post petitions on the platform with a disclaimer making clear that the contents are not written by or affiliated with CitizenGO, thousands of people do so and we can’t review every one. The Campaign Director in Mexico noticed this one, however, and needed to act.”
“The petition makes serious allegations against a named individual without providing any evidence, source, or link to substantiate them,” she added. “A third-party petition isn’t journalist-verified content, it’s a member of the public making potentially defamatory claims against a named person, and we have no way to assess whether those claims are true. That exposes CitizenGO to legal liability we’re not in a position to take on.”
Farrow emphasized, however, that if the allegations proved to be true and there’s a legitimate campaign centered on religious freedom or accountability, CitizenGo would “be happy to look at it again.”
In the meantime, LifeSiteNews has launched a petition of its own calling for the removal of the Basilica’s scandal-plagued rector.
To add your name to this urgent petition, click here.