Teaching Comparative

Clericalism in Mexico

Manuel Roig-Franzia, the Washington Post reporter would have written this article quite differently if he had studied comparative politics. He begins with a sentence that sounds like the mix of religion and politics is surprising. He does note half way through that, "The mix of religion and politics is always explosive in Mexico." It's not until a couple paragraphs later that he notes what textbooks regard as a basic fact, "Even though the church is widely respected and supported... the [1920s] war is often cited by Mexicans who want to maintain a strict separation of church and state." And there's not a word about the PRI and 75 years of "institutionalized revolution." Nonetheless, this article might be the basis for a good exercise in critical thinking.


In Mexico, the Cardinal and the 'Crazies'

"MEXICO CITY -- It was an intrusion onto sacred ground.

"At the height of Catholic Mass in the baroque Metropolitan Cathedral, a man interrupted the service by brandishing a political protest sign at the country's most respected religious figure. Outside, demonstrators chanted, 'Norberto Rivera, hell awaits you.'

"Rivera, a cardinal, oversees the world's largest archdiocese here in Mexico City, the center of religious life in a country where nine in 10 people are Catholic. He had been considered a leading contender to succeed Pope John Paul II after the pontiff's death last year.

"But Rivera is now immersed in a nasty political tussle that illuminates the hair-trigger sensitivity here about mixing religion and politics.

"On one side, supporters of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the populist presidential candidate who is challenging the results of the July 2 election, accuse Rivera of siding with the apparent winner, Felipe Calderón. On the other side, Rivera calls protesters who have disrupted Mass at the cathedral 'crazies,' and other Catholic leaders condemn López Obrador supporters for placing the image of Mexico's most revered saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe, on political posters.

"'The mix of religion and politics is always explosive in Mexico,' said historian Enrique Krauze, who has dubbed López Obrador a 'tropical messiah' because, Krauze says, he tries to use religion to further his political appeal.

"Rivera has shown no reluctance to blend the spiritual and the secular, either. Last month, he said the church could mediate the post-electoral crisis.

"Two weeks later, he called on Mexican Catholics to respect a decision by a special elections court rejecting López Obrador's request for a full recount and ordering a recount of only 9 percent of polling places. Rivera's statement echoed the position of Calderón, who supported the court's decision, and countered the stance of López Obrador, who lambasted the ruling and continued to demand a full recount...

"López Obrador's supporters have interpreted Rivera's remarks as improper intrusions into the political world. Mexican law prohibits religious leaders from direct involvement in politics. But the tension also has roots in history.

"Troops supported by the Catholic Church fought a bloody, three-year war against the Mexican government in the 1920s. The war, which cost more than 70,000 lives, was an unsuccessful attempt to overturn reforms that had stripped the church of its considerable influence over the government and the country's financial system.

"Even though the church is widely respected and supported -- Mexico has more than 90 million Catholics, more than any country except Brazil -- the war is often cited by Mexicans who want to maintain a strict separation of church and state..."

posted by Ken Wedding @ 8:58 PM