It is gratifying to see that the Catholic bishops in Mexico are taking a strong stand against calling a truce in the war on drugs and recognizing that the use of marijuana, not the penalties against it, is part of the problem.
MEXICAN BISHOP’S CONFERENCE: DRUG WAR’S COST IN BLOOD IS INEVITABLE
Borderland Beat
June 6, 2011
The president of the Mexican Bishops' Conference (CEM), Carlos Aguiar Retes, stated at a press conference that armed criminal organizations can only be faced with force and therefore the cost in blood of that confrontation is inevitable.
The Catholic Church endorsed the efforts by President Felipe Calderon against drug trafficking and stressed that the highest goal in this war is to prevent corruption from permeating the structure of the state.
The religious leaders stated that only on the precondition that the state is freed of the influence of the drug cartels can the safety of society be guaranteed and brought up the case of Colombia as an example for Mexico where drug trafficking continues but the state structure is no longer infiltrated by cartels
Aguiar also expressed his disagreement with the proposal made by Latin American leaders, including former President Ernesto Zedillo, to decriminalize marijuana use, calling the proposal ridiculous in the context of the pain that this conflict has cost. The fight against drugs, he said, must be a global effort and not a unilateral action.
The bishops stressed that they would work to transform the current crisis experienced by Mexican society that has broken many of the values and virtues of the people.
"Selfishness has developed into a lifestyle, appearing as a result of family disintegration, the unbridled pursuit of power, pleasure and wealth, the loss of respect for people's lives," said the bishops..
The bishop of Mazatlan, Mario Espinoza, said many church representatives do their work with true heroism, because they risk their lives to work for truth and justice in areas hard hit by criminal groups.
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