Suffrage for Clergy Proposed in Mexico

MEXICO CITY — Opposition parties in the Chamber of Deputies called for a constitutional amendment Tuesday to allow members of the clergy to vote.

Since the 1857 constitution, priests and other members of the clergy have been prohibited from voting or wearing clerical garments outside of church functions.

“The government views the church as if we were still in the last century,” said a spokesman for the Mexican Unified Socialist Party. “There have been many reforms since that time, and the church’s power is now significantly limited. There is no reason to fear that the church would return to its former role of influencing government policy.”