Meaning and Scope of the Restrictions Imposed by the Mexican Constitution on Ministers of Worship

In response to the decision by Mexico's Supreme Court of Justice issued in July 2010, declaring that the law permitting marriage between persons of the same sex is consistent with the Mexican Constitution, several Catholic bishops made statements criticizing the decision. These statements generated a strong response from the party promoting the legal reform, the Democratic Revolution Party, which filed several charges against the bishops, arguing that they had violated the Mexican Constitution and various laws. The purpose of this article is to analyze, with reference to this case, the content of the constitutional restrictions affecting ministers of worship, particularly those against engaging in proselytism and opposing the laws and institutions, which are the restrictions allegedly violated in the case, and to propose an interpretation of these restrictions that is fully consistent with the Mexican Constitution and with current human rights doctrine.