Mexico City, Mexico, Oct 15, 2007 / 08:48 am
The Apostolic Nuncio in Mexico, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, said this week the “State has the duty to guarantee security for all citizens” in order to prevent such things as the death threats that Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera has been subjected to in recent weeks.
After a meeting with the Bishop of Cuernavaca and the city’s mayor, Archbishop Pierre said he was saddened by what has happened to the cardinal and said the State must guarantee the security of all Mexicans.
The nuncio’s statements came as Cardinal Rivera has been given police protection in response to a wave of death threats against him in recent weeks, including interruptions while he has celebrated Mass at the Cathedral.
The spokesman for the archdiocese, Father Hugo Valdemar, said the cardinal requested that the security at the Cathedral be increased, saying his greatest concern was for the safety of the people attending Mass each Sunday.
The governor of Cuernavaca, Marco Adame Castillo, said he supported the cardinal’s request and that the State should analyze the threats that have been made against him and respond accordingly.