Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-01
MEXICAN CHARGE
OUTLINES STAND.
Official Here Holds Church
Has Urged Reaction to
Liberal Principles.

In a formal statement explaining
the Mexican religious policy which
has brought the government into con-
f1ict with the Catholic Church, DIR.
Antonio Castro Leal, charge daft
flares of the Mexican embassy, as
serted here last night that at time
when the church exercised powerful
political sway in Mexico il never rep
resented in tact a constructive power
for the people.
ut is an unavoidable TACT tnat
Catholic foreign public opinion be err
roneous in regard to the so-called re-
ligious question in Mexico" he said,
since II is natural for the American
people, for instance, TO judge the
church in Mexico by the standards OF
the church IN the United States, with
out taking into consideration that his
torical and political conditions, that
race and methods of government have
been additional factors which have
diversified the role of the religious
institutions in both countries.
Holds Conditions Differ.
without possessing an exact
knowledge at least of our political
history OF the nineteenth century,
there cannot he appreciated the causes
of 1857 and the reform laws OF 1859,
which are the bases of the Mexican
legislation dealing with religious mat
ters. To Judge the church III Mexico
by what the church has done in the
United States is as erroneous as to
Judge the conservative parties In
Argentine by what the Tories have
done in England.
1.-The church exercised a complete
dominion over the country during
three centuries without being able
to launch movement of progress that
would, when independence was
achieved, place Mexico among the
countries enjoying modern standards
of life. After the War of lndepend-
ence, at the beginning of the nine
teenth century, the church in Mexico
exercised a great political sway, but
it never represented In fact con-
structive power for the people. The
struggles for reform put an end to
continuous state of political friction
between the Liberal and Conservative
parties, the latter having the decisive
support of the church. Upon the
triumph of the Liberal party 1t was
possible to separate the church from
the state, limiting the religious in
stitutions to the spiritual action, the
only one which belongs 10 them.
New Principles Involved.
THE reform movement gave to the
country a magma carta in which
there were embodied Liberal princi-
pies which no other country had yet
established in the middle of the nine
teenth century. These principles
have been gradually adopted in the
constitutions of several European and
Latin American countries.
THE policy Of President Gales
government is in fact a. continuation
of the one that prompted the reform
movement, and article 1870 of the con-
stitution of 1917, dealing with religious
questions, is In fact the Incorporation
of article 123 of the constitution of
1857 and of the reform laws of 1899.
The decree amending the penal code
does nothing but establish regulations
for laws already In existence for the
last 20 years.
AN unbiased consideration of the
facts, cannot fail to show the. unit
ferInitN OF polbS3 In reGard to religious
questions during the last 20 years.
Any person with a clear idea of
sociological and political movements
will realize that there must exist
powerful reasons and special circum-
stances supporting the Mexican policy
in all matters touching religious ques-
tons during the last 20 years No
unpopular movement, no problem
artificially created by a government
can survive in the political calendar
of a country during 10 years.
Nation i'm Creative Period.
After the dictatorship OF Porfirio
DiaZ our country found problems 10
be solved. The revolution Of 1910 in.
augurated a movement OF new politi.
cal ideas. And Mexico is at present
passing through a creative period,
spreading knowledge among the lower
classes. establishing credit institu-
lions for the benefit of industry and
agriculture, opening roads and irrigat.
ing lands. A rich minority rested
upon the wretched condition of the
poor majority, This situation has
been fully understood and now 1t is
our purpose to make it clear to others
that the people must enjoy better con-
ditions of life. And In order to carry
out our purposes 1t has been neces.
sary to place the country In a pro-
ducing state, and to make the people,
through education, capable TO pro-
duce.
''At the present time, when the
country is being reconstructed, the
government Of Mexico has made clear
that the reactionary elements obstruct-
ing its work are being, as always be-
fore, instigated by the church. To
the maneuvers of the church and to
its call to the people to disavow the
constitution and the laws of the
country, the President has only
answered putting into force the laws
already in existence, which had not