Guatemala City, Guatemala, Apr 10, 2006 / 22:00 pm
The archbishop of Guatemala City, Cardinal Rodolfo Quezada Toruño, said this past Sunday that the Church would oppose a new law on family planning which is currently before the country’s Constitutional Court. He said that the law is “manifestly unconstitutional.”
Speaking to reporters after the celebration of Palm Sunday Mass, the cardinal warned that the Guatemalan bishops would file briefs before the high court against the law. At the same time, however, he said the official position of the Church in Guatemala regarding the legislation would be made known after the bishops meet in April.
“This law is manifestly unconstitutional because it does not respect the human embryo, it does not respect the right of parents to teach their kids about sexuality and it even forces private Catholic schools to teach things that go against their consciences,” the cardinal said.
The Guatemalan high court denied a motion by the country’s executive branch last December to prevent the new law from being published in the official daily after it was approved by Congress.