Mexico Catholics fear church influencing election

[Judi Lynn]

Mexico Catholics fear church influencing election
Thu Jun 8, 2006 4:31pm ET

By Lorraine Orlandi

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A group of Mexican Catholic community groups said on Thursday the church may be using hot-button issues like abortion to sway voters in favor of the conservative ruling party candidate in the presidential election.

They said workshops and other forums arranged by church leaders could illegally interfere in the July 2 election, taking advantage of ties with President Vicente Fox and his National Action Party, or PAN.

"The risk of the Catholic hierarchy influencing votes has been greater in these federal elections than in others due to its closeness to the federal executive," said Guadalupe Cruz, speaking on behalf of six community-based "progressive" Catholic groups. "The main risk is with the PAN."

Fox's party has roots in Catholicism, the dominant religion in Mexico. PAN presidential candidate Felipe Calderon, tied in first place in opinion polls, comes from a devout Catholic family and opposes legalizing abortion.
(snip/...)

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=winterOlympics&storyID=2006-06-08T203129Z_01_N08367103_RTRUKOC_0_US-MEXICO-ELECTION-CHURCH.xml

[AX10]

1. Tax em'!!!

[Bridget Burke]

2. Are you sure that churches in Mexico are exempt from taxes?

This entry does not mention taxes, but Mexican governments have a long history of anti-clericalism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state#Mexico

[JNelson6563]

3. The Catholic Church benefits from right wing rule

There are three sources of power (I mean real power) in the world, religion, government and great wealth. Right wing governments provide a much better environment for manipulation than those from the left.

Julie

[Terran1212]

4. Great, our elections and theirs too?

[MisterP]

5. lotta Mexicans got angry when Fox kneeled in supplication to John Paul

(and smooched his feet, I think)
secularist post-1910 Mexico's had a history of anticlericalism (not always left-revolutionary, mind you)--for example, a Revolutionary gov. (Garrido Canabal) of Tabasco named his son Satan

[UTUSN]

6. Why, NOT - ain't an annulment for Vicente & whassername to marry something