The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-10-02
BY MANUEL GOMEZ.
CHAPTER IV-concluded.

A MEXICAN editorial writer's com
"A ment on the present church con
hict in Mexico with a certain amount
of bewilderment Eventually, they
protest, the church must win out, for
80 per cent of the Mexican people are
catholics. Their logic continues to
bear up rather remarkably, consider
ing the shocks that nit receives with
every days news.
As a matter of fact, the editorial
logic referred to above has been
proved false by all the events of his
tory, not only European but also Mex
lean. (This is quite aside from the
fact that while great majority of
Mexcans are catholics, the percentage
is by no means as high as that indi-
Gated in the religiously padded mem
bership figures given out by the
clergy.) 1t has been precisely in "cath-
olic countries" that the most bitter
struggles against the church took
place. Could the reformation have
swept over nearly all Europe in the
closing years Of the middle ages il it
were impossible for catholics to over
throw catholicism?
Mexicans were early obliged to
strike at the swollen power of the
catholic hierarchy. As far back as
1924, the year after independence from
Spain, it was decided to occupy the
buildings of the Philippine missions
and to confseate the funds accumu-
lated by the Spaniards for clerical
activities outside of Mexico.
On Nov. 20, 1855, law was passed
cancelling the immunity from. civil
prosecution formerly enjoyed by
priests. The clergy fought this law
saVagely, but it did them little good.
In June of the following year the gov
eminent decreed the abolition Of en-
tail of church property. A precedent
for interfering with church property
had been created in 1922, as we have
seen, but the decree against entail
aroused the clergy to fury.
From the bloody war that followed
the church emerged still worse on.
With Benito Juarez at the head of a
triumphant liberal government, the
constitution Of 1857 preferred to at
length in a previous chapter) was put
into effect, and in July of 1859 the
reform laws were promulgated, sup
pressing all monastical institutions
and prohibiting the exercise of func-
lions by all except secular clergy. In
the same month civil marriage was
established; on July 81 cemeteries
we're taken away from church control,
and on Aug. IL religious holidays were
denied recognition, and government
officials were forbidden to take part |
in religious ceremonies.
And thus right on down thru the
latest revolutionary period.
During these last fifteen years or
more the influence of the church
among the masses of the Mexican peo-
pie has been declining rapidly. In the
north and along the Pacific and Gulf
coasts, many of the churches will be
found standing empty. Organized la |
Dor has broken away almost COM
pletely from clerical influence. The
same thing is noted among wide sec
tions Of the petty-bourgeoisie, the gov
erning bureaucracy, intellectuals, etc.
Even the peasants of the central pla-
teau, while still the backbone of cath
Ole strength, are beginning to develop
auti-clerical movements.
In the present conflict the church
has found extremely little active sup
port against the Gales government
except among the wealthy reaction