MEXICO: Mexico vows more security for cardinal after death threats

Mexican government officials promise more security for Cardinal who has received death threats and has been physically and verbally attacked. Mexico vowed to beef up security for its top Roman Catholic clergyman after he said he received death threats from leftist activists opposed to his stance against abortion and gay civil unions. Cardinal Norberto Rivera, who also faces allegations that he protected a pedophile priest, said a group of leftists kicked and spat at his car on Sunday (October 07) as he left Mexico City's central cathedral after Mass. Both the federal and Mexico City governments said they were talking to the cardinal to see what additional security measures he needed. Rivera says he has been the victim of a hate campaign since the left-wing Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) narrowly lost last year's presidential election to the conservative National Action Party (PAN), which is seen as close to the Catholic Church. "I don't feel at risk, Iam threatened constantly. I haven't been scared up until now. I'm conscious that I'm living in constant risk. I've received constant death threats, so that's not fair," Rivera said in an interview with Mexican television aired late on Monday (October 08). The PRD denied any involvement in the attacks on Rivera and said in a statement it did not want to fight with the church, which vehemently opposed recent laws in the PRD-dominated capital allowing abortion and gay civil unions. Activists banged on the windows of Rivera's car with wooden sticks in Sunday's attack. "I think that what's happening is more serious than banging a car or kidnapping a cardinal. What is happening is that there is no security in the Cathedral. At least for Sunday Mass, all doors have to be shut, as well as the gates, to avoid this type of demonstrations. I don't even want to think about the day, when something happens such as an earthquake or another event when people could get scared, because they are practically trapped," Rivera said. The church feels that Mexico City's left-wing government was failing to control the activists, and has demanded federal government protection so it can go back to keeping the side doors of the city cathedral open during Sunday mass. Mexico City's PRD Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, admits that people are trying to intimidate Rivera and he is willing to increase security measures if he has to. "The Mexico City government is continuously attentive, but there are people who are intimidating him. What happened on Sunday was very lamentable, and if we have to increase security measures, we will gladly do so." Mexico is the second-largest Catholic nation after Brazil, and Rivera was seen as an outside candidate to become Pope in 2005. He has clashed with the left over issues like abortion rights and his reputation has been hurt by allegations in a U.S. civil case that he protected a priest who sexually abused boys in Mexico and California.

ITN Source | October 10, 2007

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