Mexican mayor turns over city to God, stirring debateMost Americans don't know it but the Mexican Constitution is much stronger then the US Constitution when it comes to demanding that religion and government be kept separate.It's been a while since I read the Mexican Constitution but I think it forbids religious people like priests and ministers from even getting involved in any politics or government. Of course like the US Constitution the politicians in Mexico frequently ignore the Constitution as in this case. By Tracy Wilkinson June 11, 2013, 12:01 p.m. MEXICO CITY -- She rose to the podium and cast her eyes skyward. The mayor of Monterrey then entrusted her Mexican city to God and Jesus Christ as the crowd around her cheered. “I open the doors of this city to God as the maximum authority,” Mayor Margarita Arellanes said. “I recognize that without his presence and his help, we cannot have real success.” Whether a sign of desperation for how dire things are in northern Mexico, which is plagued by drug violence, or simply a profession of faith, Arellanes’ weekend speech has rankled many in this country where the separation of church and state is a founding principle -- one that helped spark a violent uprising a century ago. One columnist called her the new Mexican Sarah Palin -- alluding, he explained, to a relatively inexperienced politician who isn’t shy about wearing her religion on her sleeve, like the former U.S. vice presidential candidate. Leftist congressmen in Mexico City suggested Arellanes should be investigated and maybe even brought up on charges. A host of academics and legal experts quickly listed the articles of the Mexican Constitution that she may have violated. Even some from her own conservative National Action Party (PAN) complained, but perhaps because her pious pledge came at an event organized by evangelical churches, not Roman Catholic ones. “She should have been more careful,” said PAN Sen. Luisa Maria Calderon, sister to former President Felipe Calderon. Monterrey’s leading independent human rights organization, which is run by a nun, said turning the city over to Jesus was “undemocratic and unrepublican.” Arellanes, 36, is sticking to her convictions, saying she broke no laws because she spoke as a private person, not the mayor of Mexico’s wealthiest and third-largest city. That distinction, however, seemed to have been missed by most who either heard the mayor speak or have since watched her presentation on YouTube. What apparently irks many here is that displays of religion have been steadily creeping into public life in recent years, which some Mexicans see as an erosion of the secular identity of the state. Former President Calderon made no secret of his Catholic faith as the basis for fierce opposition to laws that liberalized gay marriage and abortion in Mexico City. The 1917 Constitution, which was born out of revolution, enshrined the ideal of Mexico as a lay country. It also contained harsh measures of repression against the Catholic Church, which eventually led to the so-called Cristero uprising of 1926. Thousands of people died. Property belonging to the church was seized; clergy were not allowed to wear vestments in public. Over the decades, restrictions were relaxed, and the church exercised a gradually more central role, although the formal separation continued to be the law of the land. It’s always been a somewhat schizophrenic relationship, however. Mexicans remain a fairly religious people. Images of the Virgin of Guadalupe, patron saint of Mexico, are everywhere. Papal visits attract record crowds. Taxi drivers and street vendors routinely cross themselves when they pass a church. Her critics say Arellanes’ mistake was not her faith but to go so public with it. “If she does not feel strong enough to govern, then she should take a leave of absence or resign,” Sen. Miguel Barbosa of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party said. “She should not try to use public venues to move people over a private belief … in order to gain sympathy.”
Monterrey mayor gives city to GodSourceMonterrey mayor gives city to God Published on Tuesday, 11 June 2013 01:10 by VÍctor MAYÉN The News Monterrey Mayor Margarita Alicia Arellanes Cervantes gave Jesus Christ the key to the city at a public prayer event held on Saturday. Arellanes Cervantes said that her city, which, ironically, was first settled by Sephardic Jewish conquistadors, was founded in the name of God, which is why Christians needed to “conserve it, defend it, love it.” She added that only “the light of faith in God can drive out darkness” and asked God to enter the city and make it his abode. Her speech caused controversy after it was recorded and uploaded to YouTube. Mexico has one of the strictest separations of church and state in the Americas. The 1917 Constitution prohibits religious figures from attempting to influence politics, and it was illegal to wear clerical garb in public as late as the 1970s. Cristina Día Salazar, who represents Nuevo León in the Senate, said that the mayor may have crossed a “very delicate” line, as her actions threatened Mexico’s official secularism. “I understand that the intention was to make a public prayer,” she said, adding that she believed that the issue needed to be analyzed by legal experts. Fellow Nuevo León Senator Marcela Guerra Castillo said that the “Monterrey Prays” event was only organized by Arellanes Cervantes to gain popularity. “It’s a way to grab people’s attention and create controversy,” she said. “Instead of seeking popularity, she should seek efficiency in the administration of her city.”
La presidenta municipal de Monterrey "entrega" la ciudad a Dios (CNNMéxico) — La presidenta municipal de Monterrey, Margarita Alicia Arellanes Cervantes, del Partido Acción Nacional (PAN), “entregó” la ciudad a Dios, a quien pidió “que entre en esa ciudad y la haga su habitación”. Arellanes Cervantes participó el pasado sábado en la clausura del evento religioso Ora Monterrey, organizado por las Alianzas de Pastores de la ciudad, y aunque no hay información sobre sus actividades de ese día en el sitio de internet del ayuntamiento, en redes sociales se dio a conocer un video donde se muestra parte de su discurso. La alcaldesa primero lee un fragmento de un pasaje de la biblia y luego afirma que “Dios quiere corazones valientes, que no se avergüencen ni lo oculten, si no que lo honren en la palabra”. Arellanes Cervantes, que es alcaldesa de Monterrey desde octubre pasado, critica entonces a quienes se escandalizan si se habla de Dios públicamente y los calificó de intolerantes, pero según ella, si toleran y callan “ante el odio y el mal” y “se vuelven pasivos sin proponer y construir un mejor país”. “Vivimos en una nación que canta día a día que el destino de los mexicanos por el dedo de Dios se escribió, pero al mismo tiempo lo confinamos a actuar en secreto, ignorándolo casi en todas las demás esferas de una sociedad”, dijo la alcaldesa. Según Arellanes, una sociedad sin Dios solo puede aspirar a “dolor, pobreza, violencia y el resquebrajamiento moral”, y recordó que en la propia acta de la fundación de Monterrey dice que “en el nombre de Dios todopoderoso” nació la ciudad del norte del país. Luego, entregó la ciudad a Dios: “Yo, Margarita Alicia Arellanes Cervantes, entrego la ciudad de Monterrey, Nuevo León, a nuestro señor Jesucristo, para que su reino de paz y bendición sea establecido. Abro las puertas de este municipio a Dios como la máxima autoridad. Reconozco que sin su presencia y su ayuda no podemos tener éxito real”, dijo. “Humildemente le pido a Dios, ante esta comunidad como testigos que entre en esta ciudad y la haga su habitación, y que el señor habite en los corazones de cada uno de los regiomontanos”, agregó. Luego, dos niños recibieron un documento enmarcado como símbolo de la entrega de la ciudad a Dios. Este lunes, en conferencia de prensa, la alcaldesa aclaró que “entregó la ciudad a Jesucristo a título personal”, no como funcionaria del ayuntamiento. “Sí, dije que entregaba la ciudad, bueno eso lo puede señalar cualquiera, creo que todos queremos que el lugar donde vivimos y nuestra familias sea un lugar de principios y valores para nuestras familias”, añadió Arellanes. “Si en algún momento alguien se ha sentido lastimado u ofendido (por mis declaraciones), en ningún momento ha sido mi intención, por el contrario asumo la responsabilidad de gobernar para todos”. El artículo 40 de la Constitución establece el carácter laico de la República, mientras que el artículo 130 de la Constitución establece la separación de la Iglesia y el Estado. Entre otras disposiciones, dicho artículo establece que las autoridades no intervendrán en la vida interna de asociaciones religiosas y que no se podrán celebrar en templos reuniones de carácter político. Arellanes Cervantes elogió lo realizado por su gobierno en los últimos meses, y dijo que los cambios en la ciudad son debido a que “le hemos abierto las puertas a Dios”. El caso de Arellanes Cervantes no es el único en meses recientes. En septiembre pasado, el alcalde priista Enrique Pelayo Torres, de Ensenada, entregó las llaves de la ciudad a Jesucristo. El priista César Garza, alcalde de Guadalupe, Nuevo León, lo hizo en diciembre de 2012 con un discurso similar al de Arellanes, mientras que el panista Rodolfo Ambriz Oviedo, hizo lo propio en Benito Juárez, Nuevo León. |