New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-11-02
Religions Reform in Mexico,

i
The following copy of the amendments t
the constitution lately adopted in Mexico
with comments thereon, are taken from tn,
City of Mexico Cosmopolitan:
| The important laws of reform which WERE
| issued by the illustrioua Mexican, Benitt
Juarez, in the year 1859. have been declared
| part and parcel of the Mexican liberal con
stitution of 1857.
This gigantic step taken by Mexico upor
the path of progress and civilization, is Of
the utmost importance, and tends to prove
that this hitherto unfortunate country il
really in earnest in its endeavors to procure
! for its people the blessings of true liberty
and of real, material and substantial pro
gress.
The innumerable misfortunes that have
fallen upon Mexico may, in a great mea
| sure, be attributed to the almost unlimited
power exercised by the clergy upon the
domestic and general affairs OF the country
| This immense power, derived from the vast
moral influence exerted by the priests upon
| the great masses of the people, received a
| terrible blow at the hands of Juarez and
| other prominent liberals. But the laws
which these eminent men issued in order to
| attain that desirable end, were to a certain
extent isolated, and had not the force
necessary to produce the effect for which
they we're promulgated.
Now those laws have been declared unap
imously BY the Legislatures of the diff
/ ferent Mexican States as part of the con-
stitution, and they will therefore have
more force. and thus destroy forever the
power of the Church in this country.
We give below translation of the said
laws, just as hey were issued by Congress
as constitutional amendments:
The Congress OF the United States Of
Mexico exercising the power granted to it
by article III of the political constitution
Published ON the twelfth of February, 1857.
and having previously obtained the apprO-
baton of tue majority of the Legislatures
of the republic, declares that the following
are additions and amendments to the said
constitutions:
ARTICLE |. The State and the Church
are independent of each other. Congress
can not dictate any laws establishing or
prohibiting the establishment of any re-
ligion whatever.
ART. o Marriage is civil contract.
This and the other acts pertaining to the
civil status of parties belongs exclusively
to the competency OF the officers and au-
thorities of the civil order, within the terms
prescribed by law, and have the force and
validity which the same cOnfers upon them.
ART. 3. No religious institution whatso-
ever can acquire real estate property, nor
use the rents sccruing therefrOm, with the
only exception expressed in article twenty
seven OF the constitution.
ART. 4. The simple promise 20 say the
truth and to fulfill the respective obliga-
tons will take the place Of the religious
oath for ali its effects and penalties.
ART. ). No person shall he obliged TO give
his personal labor without his full consent.
The State can not allow to be carried into
effect any contract, pledge or agreement
whose object may be the detriment, loss or
irrevocable sacrifice of the liberty Of man,
be it either on account OF labor. education
or religious cath.
The law, therefore, does not recognize or
acknowledge any monastic orders, nor can
it permit their establishment whatever may
be their denomination or the object for
which they are sought 10 be founded. Nor
can it permit any agreement to be made by
virtue Of which a man may pledge his PRO-
scriptiOn or exilt.
The foregoing additions and amendments
to the constitution shall be published at
once Throughout. the republic with the great
est solemnity.
The above amendpents TO tbs federal con-
stitution were published officially on the
fifth instant. Statutes were fired at dawn.
noon and sunset. The national flag was
hOisted on all the public buildings and in
many private residences; and the flags Of
foreign nations were hoisted on their re.
speclive legations and consulates.