Mexican protests anger Catholic leaders

Fri Sep 1, 2006 12:03 PM ET
By Greg Brosnan

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's leftist presidential candidate, whose mass street protests over alleged vote fraud have put him at odds with much of the country, has now fallen afoul of the influential Roman Catholic church.

Mexico's top prelate, Cardinal Norberto Rivera, lashed out at Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's supporters this week after some burst into Mexico City's main cathedral and used the sacred image of the Virgin of Guadalupe on protest banners.

Many of Lopez Obrador's supporters back claims that conservative ruling-party rival Felipe Calderon stole the July 2 election, and some see Rivera as favoring Calderon.

Demonstrations backing Lopez Obrador have shut down much of the vast capital, to the outrage of officials and commuters.

Mexico is a predominantly Catholic country whose history is full of episodes of bloody wrangling with the powerful church. It strives to keep religion and politics apart, and clergymen had in recent decades stayed on the sidelines.

But protests that interrupted last Sunday's cathedral mass, and placards depicting the venerated Virgin of Guadalupe posting a ballot for the bombastic left-wing former Mexico City mayor, pushed clerics over the edge.