Catholic publication calls for the protection of religious freedom in Mexico

Mexico City, Mexico, May 11, 2011 / 06:57 am

A Catholic publication in Mexico is calling for legislation to protect the religious freedom of Mexicans.

Desde la Fe, a Catholic weekly, said that legal framework is needed to protect Mexicans from attacks like the one that took place in Mexico City on April 24. On Easter, a group interrupted Mass at the city's cathedral and destroyed a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The actions were condemned by the Archdiocese of Mexico City and by leaders of numerous Christian denominations in Mexico. 

The cathedral has been the target of numerous attacks in recent months.

The newspaper said in an editorial that the “sacrilegious and despicable incidents” must not go unpunished nor be used as pretext to argue that “differences in religious beliefs are creating tensions or that attacks in a place of worship are protected by free speech.”

“What the faithful and Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera suffered at the Metropolitan Cathedral is only a small sign of the lack of a legal framework that at a minimum should guarantee the freedom of worship of any religious faith in our country,” the editorial stated.

It then noted that the reason for the more than 20 attacks at the cathedral have been due to the “lack of a legal framework for ensuring respect for religious freedom and the lack of political will to guarantee the right of religious freedom for all Mexicans.”

“Religious freedom in our country is not the search to bring back old, undesirable privileges—even for churches themselves, as we acknowledge that a positive lay state is what is best for all—but rather for the essential freedoms that foster cooperation in the building of a more unified and just society with common objectives. 

“For as the churches mentioned in their statement, the peace and tranquility that millions of Mexicans deserve depends in large measure on this,” the editorial stated.