ACI Prensa Staff, Jun 28, 2023 / 15:00 pm
Given the possibility that the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) may prohibit Nativity scenes on public property, the Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM) issued a statement calling for the free exercise of religious liberty whether individually or collectively.
In 2020, the Yucatán civil association Kanan Human Rights sought to prohibit the placement of Nativity scenes in public squares in the municipalities of Mérida, Chocholá, and Mocochá in Yucatán state, alleging that this “violates the secular state.” The organization filed constitutional protection lawsuits that have made their way to the SCJN.
On Wednesday this week, the SCJN justices will debate the case of one of the lawsuits filed against the municipality of Mérida.
“Religious freedom is not limited to worship but rather goes far beyond it, embracing freedom of thought, conscience, expression; taking shape in artistic and educational expressions, [and] in popular traditions, among others. The above has been recognized in our political constitution and international treaties,” the bishops wrote.