Monday, September 26, 2005

 

Church leaders step into Mexico’s political limelight

 

By Barnard R. Thompson

 

From prelates to priests, for some time now many among the hierarchies of the Roman Catholic Church have again and determinedly been inserting the Church into Mexican politics (if not yet the public debate), moving to involve themselves in the dogma of state.  And with the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI, the pace is quickening and now public.  This as matters related to politics are often underlying messages of the priesthood, cloaked by influential voices from the pulpit that rightfully condemn violence, wrongdoing, indifference and other sins.

 

Yet according to Article 130 of the Mexican Constitution, regardless of denomination the clergy may not participate in partisan political affairs excepting for his or her right as a citizen to vote for a chosen candidate.

 

On the other hand, the Mexican episcopate has argued in the past that priests have a moral responsibility to denounce actions that violate Christian morality.

 

What has now, once again, brought the Church-State relationship in Mexico before the public eye was first during a September 15 ad limina apostolorum visit with the Pope by a group of Mexican bishops.  Pope Benedict received them at Castel Gandolfo, his summer residence just south of Rome, and he delivered a stunning speech — somewhat surprising as to the depth of his knowledge of Mexico today, and impressive as to its content.

 

Individualizing Mexico, the Pope said, “A continuing great concern is that in some settings, due to the eagerness for power, healthy ways of living together and doing things political have deteriorated, and too the phenomena of corruption, impunity, infiltration of narcotics trafficking, and organized crime have increased.”

 

The Pope assessed the plight of the poor in Mexico, noting this is a situation that forces those in need to emigrate to destinations “where many work in precarious conditions, defenseless and confronting difficulties different in cultural context to their social and religious idiosyncrasies.”

 

He also called for energetic efforts to lessen the influence and expansion of religious sects.  To do so, Catholic pastors must “offer the faithful more personalized religious attention,” he said.

 

Hardly a week later, on September 23 the Pope expressed concern publicly a second time regarding illegal narcotics and organized crime in Mexico.  In accepting the credentials of Mexico’s new ambassador to the Vatican, Luis Felipe Bravo Mena, the pontiff called upon all concerned to fight drug trafficking, and he offered the help of the Church towards that aim.

 

Benedict XVI also acknowledged work by the government and some social organizations in the fight against organized crime, adding however that underdevelopment in certain sectors of the population exacerbates drug and narcotics trafficking problems.

 

In Mexico, in between commentaries by the Pope, a Mexican bishop started a verbal avalanche when he stated that the Catholic Church accepts alms from drug dealers and traffickers who want to purify themselves and the money.  Ramón Godínez Flores, the bishop of Aguascalientes, also said that donations from drug gangs occur everywhere, and that it is “not up to us to investigate where the money comes from.”

 

Trying to stop snowballing outcries, Godínez quickly retracted his statement, saying he was misinterpreted.  Mexico’s Catholic hierarchy added that any claim of collaboration with drug traffickers “is … totally groundless.”  And the Archbishop of Mexico, Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, said that “the Church cannot receive that money for any reason.”

 

Still, members of all three major political parties in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies are now calling for an investigation of the Church, money laundering, and clerical ties with drug cartels and traffickers.

 

The office of President Vicente Fox also reacted, with a spokesman warning, “At no time, under no condition, may anyone receive illegal money.  No one may in this way aid in the laundering of money, and nobody can be in favor of organized crime acting with impunity.”  The spokesman added that the Church is not an exception, and if justified it can be investigated.

 

The latter however, in honesty, would seem unlikely to happen in Mexico.

 

But there is more to the story.  During the investiture of Ambassador Bravo, Pope Benedict also noted that Mexico would hold general elections next year.  Those elections he said, would be “an opportunity and a challenge to consolidate the significant advances made in the process of democratization.”

 

In such words, and coming from the Pope, probably politically correct.  However what about added pre-election Church involvement and intrigue in Mexico, and what supposedly can or cannot be done constitutionally by the priesthood?

 

(To be continued next week.)

 

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Barnard Thompson, a consultant, is also editor of MexiData.info.  He can be reached via e-mail at mexidata@ix.netcom.com.