In this day and age, most countries purposefully separate law and religion. However, there are still moral and ethical practices that must be taken into consideration in every nation. This being said, as of 2000, 76.5 percent of Mexicans had declared themselves as Roman Catholics (Background Note). Despite the vast majority of those who affiliate themselves with the Catholic Church, some of the major principles of Catholic Social Teaching have not been carried out and are not practiced at all in various areas in Mexico
The Catholic Church teaches that the needs of the poor and vulnerable should be put ahead of all others. According to the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, “President Calderon has actively promoted international human rights and democracy and sought to increase Mexico
According to the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, people have the right to organize and join unions, but the Mexican governments and many private employers prevent Mexicans from this basic tenant. “On paper, Mexico’s workers have had one of the best labor laws in the world since the adoption of the Constitution of 1917, which gave workers the right to organize unions and established protective legislation” (Union-Busting). However, “Mexican unions continue to undergo a process of realignment and reorganization as workers and their allies seek new tactics and strategies to defend their rights and improve their standard of living in the face of globalization” These people have been repressed by unions that they were not even aware that they were a part of. “Mexico Mexico
Drug trafficking in Mexico Mexico
In no way, shape, or form should Mexico
Sources:
Andreas, Peter . "The Political Economy of Narco-Corruption in Mexico Brown University
"Background Note: Mexico U.S.
"Mexico
"Seven Key Themes of Catholic Social Teaching." USCCB: United States
"Union-Busting Bill Stopped by Union Action—in Mexico
Liz Newton
Although a theocracy can not necessarily survive as a form of government, it would be beneficial for Catholicism and Catholic Social Teaching to play a greater role in politics because of the corruption that already exists within Mexico. Placing a stronger emphasis on morals within government will help to increase nationalism because the Mexican people will have greater trust for their government.
ReplyDeleteIt is also evident that Mexico is receiving adequate funding in all social reforms. Hilary Clinton alone contributed a donation of "$500 million this year in funds towards capacity building and equipment to fight traffickers" (Catholic Online). Also, since 1996, an organization called Sin Fronteras has "assisted over 3,000 refuges and migrants in Mexico" ("Giving Hope to a World of Need"). The CRS is responsible for social organizations in over 200 countries and has not failed to provide sufficient support in any of these regions. They also have not have overlooked other reform issues to focus entirely on the drug cartels.
As stated 76.5 percent of Mexico claims to be Catholic. This being said, trivializing the importance of Catholic Social Teaching in Mexico is unwise. Because of all of the organizations formed for reform in the last twenty years, one can infer that Mexico will only continue to make reforms to increase the overall morality of the country.
Online, Catholic. "Mexico must reform judicial system, Secretary Clinton says - International - Catholic Online." Catholic Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2011. .
Mexico | Catholic Relief Services ." Catholic Relief Services. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2011. .
Brian Feliciano
Although this essay makes some valid points with the corrupt economic and political endeavors of Mexico, Catholic Social Teaching is not totally neglected in the lives of the Mexican people. Yes, the government is taking away from social reform and community programs but it is only playing its role. According to Catholic Social Teaching, “The teachings of the Church insist that government has a moral function: protecting human rights and securing basic justice for all members of the commonwealth.”
ReplyDelete(http://www.osjspm.org/economic_justice_for_all.aspx) The government’s role is to protect and work for the people. The enforcement of anti-drug programs is the government’s way of protecting the people and ensuring their well being. If the issue of drug trafficking wasn’t addressed by the government, then the safety of the people would be in jeopardy. Therefore, they are not really taking away from the community. They are only trying to protect the community and the people.
Jenna Anne Chan
While the controversies and issues in Mexico are well addressed, there is a lack of discussion about Catholic social teaching itself and its effects on the lives of Mexican citizens. Evidence is used only to support the fact that conflicts are occurring and to restate the Church’s teachings on how to handle each conflict. The role of the Church in Mexico in dealing with these various issues is left untouched upon, and only the issues themselves and possible solutions are discussed in detail. The consequence of the Church’s speaking out against drug lords, discussed in http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2011-03/mexico-s-crisis-faith is not a part of the argument, and neither is any example of the Church working for unionization rights. Without clear examples as to how the Church has worked for or against these issues, the role of the Church in the lives of Mexicans is left unaddressed.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, drug trafficking is mentioned as an issue that is greatly taking up federal funds and the attention of the criminal justice force. This is discussed as a bad thing, in that funds and attention need to be addressed to other issues. However, it is one of the most dangerous issues Mexico has to face at this point, and must be handled accordingly. One solution to this issue would be for an outside authority to step in and aid Mexico with either funds or reinforcements to help subdue the worst crimes, so that the funds and attention of the government can be focused elsewhere. The problem is not that there is too much attention and money going towards the drug wars, but rather that the Mexican government lacks the ability to focus on that and other issues as well.
Vincent Viola
This essay deals only with the problems that have occurred while taking into consideration aspects of Catholic social teaching. Though the Catholic social teachings are stipulated in the essay, they fail to demonstrate the effectiveness of their usage.
ReplyDeleteThe first body paragraph discusses the issue of the poor and vulnerable, yet it is not demonstrated as being effective or ineffective; rather, the issue of water is the main cause. The second paragraph discusses the aspect of organizing unions due to Catholic social teaching, yet, again, there is no mention of its effectiveness in Mexico. The third paragraph is feasible, as too much concern is being concentrated on the drug cartels and crimes. For instance, "for residents, the constant presence of deadly cartels overshadows even mundane activities" (Corchado).
Corchado, Alfredo. "Mexico: Drug Cartels Taking over Government Roles." Fabio Ghioni. WP-SpamFree, 9 May 2011. Web. 17 May 2011. http://www.fabioghioni.net/blog/2011/05/09/mexico-drug-cartels-taking-over-government-roles/.
Paul Popa
While it is necessary to maintain the separation of Church and State, it is true that the Mexican government would function more efficiently if Catholic morals were integrated into politics. It would also be beneficial because it would resukt in a rise in nationalism, which is essentially solidarity according to Catholic Social Teaching (Seven Key Themes). A sense of community and belonging is important for the development of morals in Mexico. It is important to note that Catholic Social Teaching is present in Mexico, but that programs that support it are lacking in funding and participation.
ReplyDeleteEven though it is completely necessary to have anti-drug policies enforced in Mexico, the point is that efforts, both economically and militarily, that are directed by the Mexican government are too focused on anti-drug programs. This funding and planning take away from potential funding that could be for social programs and reforms in governmental policy that would benefit the people. Mexico’s funding is partially provided by individuals or groups outside the country. For instance, as mentioned above, Hillary Clinton contributed millions of dollars to help programs to curb drug trafficking. The funds are not evenly distributed among a variety of programs. Additionally, there are often corrupt politicians that use federal funding for their own benefit or for causes that they preferred to support (Andreas).
Although it is important to identify the benefits that Catholic Social Teaching has yielded, especially solidarity, it is also necessary to show where the Mexican government is lacking. In this way, solutions to the issues that stem from neglecting certain problems in Mexico can be identified and resolved.
Sources:
Andreas, Peter . "The Political Economy of Narco-Corruption in Mexico." Brown University Website. Brown University, n.d. Web. 13 May 2011. www.brown.edu/Departments/Political_Science/people/documents/ThePoliticalEconomyofNarco-CorruptioninMexico.pdf
"Seven Key Themes of Catholic Social Teaching." USCCB: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2011. http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/projects
Liz Newton