Tijuana priest hospitalized after attack by thief

A Catholic priest was reported to be in stable condition at a Tijuana hospital on Friday, June 9, following surgery after he was stabbed with a screwdriver by a thief trying to rob his church.

The June 8 attempted robbery occurred at San Pedro y San Pablo parish in the El Florido neighborhood, El Sol de Tijuana reported.

The wound left Father Antonio Zambrano unable to move, according to the newspaper.

Father Zambrano sustained the wound while struggling with two thieves, El Sol reported.

On the morning of June 9, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Tijuana told the press that the surgery to remove the screwdriver was successful.

The daily newspaper El Mexicano reported a slightly different version of events, among other things, saying there was only one thief. According to El Mexicano, Father Zambrano heard noises outside the rectory and went to find their source, where he found someone crouching behind a water heater.

The thief wanted to stab the priest with a knife, but he was disarmed and told to leave, according to El Mexicano. “But he didn’t want to, and grabbed a screwdriver that he then stuck on the side of (Father Zambrano’s) left ear,” El Mexicano reported.

Tijuana Archbishop Francisco Moreno issued a message to other priests in Tijuana that said the screwdriver did not touch Father Zambrano’s brain, according to El Mexicano.

A third Tijuana daily, Frontera, also reported there was just one thief. Frontera also noted that the priest was reported in serious condition when he was first hospitalized.