Bishops propose reconciliation as key to celebrating Mexico’s bicentennial

Mexico City, Mexico, Aug 31, 2010 / 12:15 pm

The Bishops’ Conference of Mexico has released a pastoral letter for the country’s bicentennial celebrations in which they call on the nation to maintain its Catholic roots and seek reconciliation as the key to confronting social problems.

The 72-page letter is divided into three parts, focusing first on Mexico’s past and the role the faith has played in forging the nation’s identity and history, then stressing the country’s need for policies that prioritize the “legitimate yearning for freedom and justice.”

The third section underscores the duty Mexicans have to be “the protagonists of events and not mere spectators.”  The bishops proposed three fundamental priorities for the continued development of the country: an all-out attack on poverty, quality and comprehensive education for all, and a sustained effort to bring about reconciliation, unity and integration to all components of society.

The bishops stressed that the well being of the country demands that all “doors be closed to the temptation to resort to violence, which only causes death, backsliding and destruction.”  “To those who seek to sow a state of fear and death through illicit and criminal activities, putting everything that we have achieved throughout our history at risk, …  we must say that the real Mexican society repudiates them and the Church calls them to a conversion back to the paths of justice and good.”

“Mexico is a great nation with a providential history and vocation,” the bishops said in conclusion.  “It is a country that has been blessed by God” and should continue along that path.