Catholic Freedom Of Expression To Be Cut Off, Denounced

The Bishop of Cuernavaca and Secretary General of the Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM), Bishop Ramón Castro Castro, denounced that in Mexico "today they want to silence us" for defending "the Truth of the Kingdom of God". On the occasion of the Solemnity of Christ the King, which the Catholic Church celebrated on Sunday, November 21, Bishop Castro Castro encouraged to be "very attentive, because we must defend the Truth of the Kingdom of God". "Today they want to silence us for defending that Truth. Let us be truthful, coherent and live in the freedom of the Gospel," he wrote on his Twitter account. The message of the secretary general of the CEM, elected to the post at the beginning of November, was an extension of the homily he delivered that same day when celebrating the Mass for the Solemnity of Christ the King in the Cathedral of Cuernavaca.

During the Mass, the Mexican Prelate lamented that the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Power of the Federation (TEPJF) "has sanctioned my brothers, bishops and priests, because they have pronounced themselves on issues of a social nature, going with this sentence against the freedom of expression that Mexico has signed in international treaties". In addition, he criticized that the magistrates did not even take "the trouble to analyze the individual conduct of each one of them". "Let us be attentive, let us defend the Truth, and let us ask God to help us to always be a free country, that walks in the Truth", he said. SANCTIONS AGAINST PRELATES The Specialized Chamber of the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Power of the Federation (TEPJF) ruled on November 18 against two cardinals, a bishop and two Mexican priests because they encouraged to meditate well the vote, pray to ask God for "light" and not to vote for promoters of abortion and gender ideology in the elections of June 6 of this year in Mexico.

Those sentenced are the Archbishop Primate of Mexico, Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes; the Archbishop Emeritus of Guadalajara, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iñiguez; the Bishop of Cancun-Chetumal, Bishop Pedro Pablo Elizondo Cardenas; and priests Mario Angel Flores Ramos, then rector of the Pontifical University of Mexico (UPM); and Angel Espinosa de los Monteros. After the sentence, the Ministry of the Interior will have to define the sanction, which could range from a simple reprimand to a fine of three million pesos (around 150 thousand dollars). MINISTERS OF TRUTH Bishop Castro Castro pointed out in his homily on November 21 that "we, pastors, have by nature of our ministry to be Truth and defend the Truth", which is Christ himself. The Bishop of Cuernavaca emphasized that "when we go into saying and living and defending the Truth it is not political, it is proper to the nature of the mission that God has given us as baptized and as pastors: to build and defend that Truth". The Mexican prelate warned that Mexico is experiencing "something serious", because "they are trying to restrict religious freedom, freedom of conscience, and even the expression of Catholics". He then pointed to a series of reforms to the Mexican Constitution that could be approved and that, according to leading organizations in the defense of life and family, hide abortion, gender ideology and restrictions to freedom of expression.

The secretary general of the CEM warned that with these reforms "they want to prevent us from talking about issues in defense of life", as well as "of the family, of marriage, of religious freedom itself". "We have to be ready, aware, because we must defend the Truth of the Kingdom," he said. The Prelate stressed that the Truth is not "something to seek until it is found and possessed," because "Christ is the Truth." "Therefore, the disciple has to struggle to be Truth," he said, stressing that Truth further charges Catholics with the task of "building the Kingdom of God." "Because a world built according to the Kingdom of God is the greatest Truth that man can be and live," he assured. A campaign launched through the platform Actívate has gathered more than five thousand signatures in rejection of the anti-life and anti-family constitutional reforms in the Chamber of Deputies.