Mexican bishops urge laity to participate in politics

Mexico City, Mexico, Jan 17, 2006 / 22:00 pm

The Committee on the Laity of the Bishops’ Conference of Mexico is calling on the faithful not to abstain from voting and to get involved in politics as the coming presidential elections draw near.

In a statement the Committee noted that politics is the search for the common good and “nothing at all justifies the absence and skepticism of Christians with regards to the public square.”  Catholics, the bishops wrote, will contribute to strengthening democracy and overcoming disillusionment. 

The bishops went on to underscore that Catholics have the right and the duty to act in accord with their principles and convictions, drawing upon the richness of the Christian vision of humanism.  It’s not a question of imposing one’s religious beliefs, they added, but rather of giving arguments based on the faith that bring light to temporal realities.

The message calls on the laity not “to become entrapped in the emotion and confrontation of those who seek power in spite of the common good, justice and peace of the country.”

The bishops warned that democratic participation is not restricted to the voting booth, but rather implies daily involvement in the life of the country.  “The electing of leaders is a democratic act that requires the conscious participation of the laity,” they noted.