Reforma: Sergio Aguayo*
Translated by Emma Brooks
It will be interesting to see how Pope Francis will support the shift that is happening in the Mexican Catholic hierarchy, for some enthusiastically, for others grudgingly, and there will be opportunists.
In Brazil (2013) he criticized the "merchants of death", who follow the "logic of power and money at all costs". In Naples (March 2015) he exclaimed: "So much corruption in the world!", to later announce that a "Christian who lets corruption enter them is not Christian, corruption stinks". In Calabria (June 2015) he categorized the mafia as a "worship of evil" that must be fought by the Church; he set to work and announced their excommunication! A few days ago [in an interview preceding his trip] he condemned "the Mexico of violence", of "corruption" and of "cartels". That, he concluded, "is not the Mexico our Mother wants".
His message gains significance when it is framed within the major shift that is happening in the Mexican Catholic hierarchy, which for a long time was distinguished by a passivity that bordered on complicity. In 1993, the apostolic nuncio Girolamo Prigione asked President Carlos Salinas to receive someone from Arellano Félix [drug cartel leader] (the meeting never happened). There were prelates who defended donations to the church from drug traffickers because, although it was true that the drug lords were "sinners", they were also "performing works of social service". When the humanitarian tragedy unfolded, most of them were immune to the victims’ pain. Indolence is changing in part because violence is affecting them; between 1990 and 2015 one cardinal, 39 priests, one deacon, and four nuns have been killed in Mexico.
It has been a discreet and deliberate change. In February 2011, a delegation of bishops "from areas suffering from violence in Mexico" and of laypeople such as Adalberto Saviñón, visited Bogotá to understand what their counterparts in Colombia were doing for peace, and against "organized crime and warfare". In November 2014, the Mexican bishops' council reiterated its solidarity with the families of the 43 Ayotzinapa student teachers, and cried out in opposition: "Enough already with so much corruption, impunity and violence!".
On January 31, Desde la Fe (From the Faith, the Archdiocese of Mexico’s official weekly publication) published a harsh editorial against cheerful official accounts and openly contradicted one of Enrique Peña Nieto’s famous expressions by clarifying that, for them, "the mission has not been accomplished" [his description of the re-capture of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán]. For evidence of this, Bernardo Barranco wrote in this week’s Proceso that "one sector of the Catholic hierarchy wants a visit-light", but "other bishops, including Cardinal Norberto Rivera, want a more rigorous visit that will address the dramas of the Mexican reality".
The Pope is a spiritual pastor who acts through politics; he therefore has to reconcile spirituality with the human condition. In order to resolve this tension, Jesuits are prepared to be "flexible". Francis will need flexibility; he will move between the pressures of a hurt and angry parish, a State that is on the defensive, and organized crime, which will scrutinize the effects that the Vicar of Christ’s messages will have on their business.
I am among those who have hope that the Pope will underpin the major shift in the Mexican Catholic Church. I do not know how he will do it. Will he publicly and fiercely point out corrupt people and murderers, or will he be discreet and conciliatory? Will he call for a crusade against the disappearance of people, the crucifixion of migrants, and the belittling of indigenous and poor people? Will he draw the attention of priests and prelates who are unwilling to fulfill their Christian duty? Regardless of what he does, his presence will influence the social and governmental strategy on violence and corruption. Therein lies the importance of the first Jesuit Pope’s visit to Mexico.
In collaboration with Maura Roldán Álvarez.
Reforma only allows subscribers to access its articles online.
*Sergio Aguayo is a professor of Political Science at The College of Mexico and a leading political analyst and commentator in Mexico. He is president of Propuesta Cívica and a participant in the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity. Dr. Aguayo obtained his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. His thesis was on the history of Mexican-U.S. government relations in the twentieth century, published as Myths and MisPerceptions: Changing U.S. Elite Visions of Mexico. His latest book is Remolino: El México de la Sociedad Organizada, los Poderes Fácticos y Enrique Peña Nieto [The Mexican Enigma: The Mexico of Organized Society, De Facto Powers and Enrique Peña Nieto]. @sergioaguayo
Translated by Emma Brooks
It will be interesting to see how Pope Francis will support the shift that is happening in the Mexican Catholic hierarchy, for some enthusiastically, for others grudgingly, and there will be opportunists.
MV Note: Pope Francis arrives this Friday, Feb. 12, for a 6-day visit, including to cities in Michoacán, Chiapas and Chihuahua where drug war violence, migration, poverty and the status of indigenous peoples are major issues.It has been a while since the Secretariat of Foreign Relations stopped administering national prestige and became a firefighter, trying unsuccessfully to put out fires caused by blunt foreigners [numerous reports by International Organizations on the human rights crises in Mexico]. It will also be unsuccessful in its attempt to regulate the Jesuit Pope’s discourse. One of the Jesuit principles, explains James Martin, a Jesuit priest, is to achieve a harmonious fusion of "contemplation" and action. Jesuits, according to this author, must be prepared to listen to others in order to give back a viable Christian message. Pope Francis has always condemned organized crime, corruption and violence. Here are some recent examples.
In Brazil (2013) he criticized the "merchants of death", who follow the "logic of power and money at all costs". In Naples (March 2015) he exclaimed: "So much corruption in the world!", to later announce that a "Christian who lets corruption enter them is not Christian, corruption stinks". In Calabria (June 2015) he categorized the mafia as a "worship of evil" that must be fought by the Church; he set to work and announced their excommunication! A few days ago [in an interview preceding his trip] he condemned "the Mexico of violence", of "corruption" and of "cartels". That, he concluded, "is not the Mexico our Mother wants".
His message gains significance when it is framed within the major shift that is happening in the Mexican Catholic hierarchy, which for a long time was distinguished by a passivity that bordered on complicity. In 1993, the apostolic nuncio Girolamo Prigione asked President Carlos Salinas to receive someone from Arellano Félix [drug cartel leader] (the meeting never happened). There were prelates who defended donations to the church from drug traffickers because, although it was true that the drug lords were "sinners", they were also "performing works of social service". When the humanitarian tragedy unfolded, most of them were immune to the victims’ pain. Indolence is changing in part because violence is affecting them; between 1990 and 2015 one cardinal, 39 priests, one deacon, and four nuns have been killed in Mexico.
It has been a discreet and deliberate change. In February 2011, a delegation of bishops "from areas suffering from violence in Mexico" and of laypeople such as Adalberto Saviñón, visited Bogotá to understand what their counterparts in Colombia were doing for peace, and against "organized crime and warfare". In November 2014, the Mexican bishops' council reiterated its solidarity with the families of the 43 Ayotzinapa student teachers, and cried out in opposition: "Enough already with so much corruption, impunity and violence!".
On January 31, Desde la Fe (From the Faith, the Archdiocese of Mexico’s official weekly publication) published a harsh editorial against cheerful official accounts and openly contradicted one of Enrique Peña Nieto’s famous expressions by clarifying that, for them, "the mission has not been accomplished" [his description of the re-capture of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán]. For evidence of this, Bernardo Barranco wrote in this week’s Proceso that "one sector of the Catholic hierarchy wants a visit-light", but "other bishops, including Cardinal Norberto Rivera, want a more rigorous visit that will address the dramas of the Mexican reality".
The Pope is a spiritual pastor who acts through politics; he therefore has to reconcile spirituality with the human condition. In order to resolve this tension, Jesuits are prepared to be "flexible". Francis will need flexibility; he will move between the pressures of a hurt and angry parish, a State that is on the defensive, and organized crime, which will scrutinize the effects that the Vicar of Christ’s messages will have on their business.
I am among those who have hope that the Pope will underpin the major shift in the Mexican Catholic Church. I do not know how he will do it. Will he publicly and fiercely point out corrupt people and murderers, or will he be discreet and conciliatory? Will he call for a crusade against the disappearance of people, the crucifixion of migrants, and the belittling of indigenous and poor people? Will he draw the attention of priests and prelates who are unwilling to fulfill their Christian duty? Regardless of what he does, his presence will influence the social and governmental strategy on violence and corruption. Therein lies the importance of the first Jesuit Pope’s visit to Mexico.
In collaboration with Maura Roldán Álvarez.
Reforma only allows subscribers to access its articles online.
*Sergio Aguayo is a professor of Political Science at The College of Mexico and a leading political analyst and commentator in Mexico. He is president of Propuesta Cívica and a participant in the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity. Dr. Aguayo obtained his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. His thesis was on the history of Mexican-U.S. government relations in the twentieth century, published as Myths and MisPerceptions: Changing U.S. Elite Visions of Mexico. His latest book is Remolino: El México de la Sociedad Organizada, los Poderes Fácticos y Enrique Peña Nieto [The Mexican Enigma: The Mexico of Organized Society, De Facto Powers and Enrique Peña Nieto]. @sergioaguayo