Norway, the most secular of nations, honored Mexican Bishop Raúl Vera López of Saltillo with the Rafto Prize, given annually to defenders of human rights and democracy. The Rafto Foundation for Human rights deems Vera López "an uncompromising critic of power abuse and a fearless defender of migrants, indigenous peoples, and other groups at risk in Mexican society." How very true. Bishop Vera López has stood up not only against the Federal government in defense of particularly Mexico's indigenous, but also against powerful conservative sectors in the Roman Catholic church who loathes his incessant social activism.
Note that Vera López is originally from Guanajuato, home to many of the most reactionary, bigoted, anti-democratic elements of the catholic church. To paraphrase a line once attributed to Trotsky - if only more of the Mexican clergy were like him, I'd be a catholic too.
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