Mexicans say last goodbyes to Catholic politician who defended life

Mexico City, Mexico, Dec 5, 2008 / 13:55 pm

Mexicans are mourning the loss of Carlos Abascal Carranza, one of the most prominent Catholic politicians known for openly professing his faith and his defense of life from the moment of conception.

 

Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City sent his condolences to Abascal’s wife and four children.  “Carlos Abascal was a citizen committed to the wellbeing and prosperity of Mexico and at the same time, he was a Catholic who openly professed his faith and held fast to his religious convictions,” the cardinal said.

 

“Innumerable are the testimonies we can point to about Abascal’s love for Christ and his Church, as well as his strong desire to imitate the saints, such as Thomas More, the patron saint of politicians, whose biography he ordered printed several years ago.”

 

Abascal, 59, a member of the National Action Party (PAN), was Secretary of the Interior during the government of Vicente Fox. He died Wednesday at this home after a battle with cancer. 

 

Dan Zeidler, representative of the Latin American Alliance for the Family, praised the legacy of Abascal.  “I knew him for many years; I was always impressed by his integrity, his dedication and his love of life, the family and the Catholic faith, and by his efforts to do well despite the criticism. He was a very capable person and at the same time very simple and open, with a great heart,” he said.

 

“As a high-level politician, he never abandoned his Catholic principles. Up to his death, he was vice president of the World Action of Parliamentarians and Governors for Life,” Zeidler stated.