Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Church interferences breach the Constitution, yet may also have legal consequences.

Juan Sandoval íñiguez, the arch conservative cardinal of Guadalajara, yesterday repeated his outrageous claims that the Supreme Court was "bribed" by Mexico City Chief of Government Marcelo Ebrard in order to accept the constitutionality of gay marriages and, it was declared yesterday afternoon, gay adoptions. 

This may now have legal consequences. Ebrard deemed it "reprehensible and unacceptable" that a man with the rank of cardinal would so easily hurl around such grave accusations.:
"What Sandoval íñiguez has said, accusing ministers [of the court] of receiving gifts and other things, he will have to provove, because it is that serious that a bishop of the church, or anyone, discredits the courts in such a manner.... what I would say to the cardinal is: Prove it, or retract it."
The Supreme Court is understandably upset by these claims of corruption, and responded on its own with a unanimous declaration (the earlier vote was a whopping 9-2) that criticized the church claims, and backed Supreme Court Judge Sergio A. Valls Hernández calls for legal repercussions. 
Don't expect this anytime soon. The hierarchy of the church, so out of touch with reality on a host of different levels, has always responded to criticism by playing the role of the victim, arguing it is only commenting on moral or religious affairs, not political ones, which has more often than not been a blatant lie. 

Article 130 of the Constitution states that the clergy "cannot, in public acts, or through religious propaganda, oppose the laws of the country or its institutions."
The church's highest spokesperson, Hugo Valdemar, in an interview in the church organ Desde el Fe, recently clamored that "God free us from a fascist party like the PRD."
It gets worse. The archdioceses in a communique said that "those who are baptized have the moral obligation to exercise in the next elections a serious an responsible vote" - that is, explicitly telling catholics not to vote for the PRD. 

Clearly the church has no absolute respect for the spirit of the law, yet if Ebrard and the Supreme Court respond to their irresponsible claims of corruption, which denigrates and undermines the institutions of Mexican democracy, with legal moves, the church may be forced to show respect for the letter of the law. It is well overdue. 

Ceser Nava, President of PAN, stupidly and utterly illogically noted that the Supreme Court decision is contrary to the Mexican constitution - which is absurd, as the very ruling of the Court just stated that gay marriages are not unconstitutional - yet that one has the obligation to comply with the ruling. 

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