Mexico City, Mexico, Nov 26, 2007 / 10:05 am
The Mexican capital's cathedral reopened on Saturday under police guard almost a week after it shut its doors when leftist protesters disrupted a Mass, Reuters reports.
It was the first time the 400-year-old cathedral had closed since the start of the "Cristero" war in the 1920s, in which Catholics fought federal authorities over an anti-clerical campaign by the government after the Mexican Revolution.
Last Sunday the tolling of the church bells angered some of those attending a rally outside the church. A mob burst into the cathedral, tearing down railings and overturning pews.
Tensions have risen between Church leaders and the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) since the party narrowly lost last year's presidential election to the conservative National Action Party, which is seen as close to the Church.