MEXICO CITY (CWNews.com/Fides)

    On the eve of presidential and legislative elections in Mexico to be held July 2, the Mexican bishops' conference has approved and supported a prayer campaign to invoke the Holy Trinity and Our Lady of Guadalupe for Mexicans to adopt a responsible attitude towards God and their neighbors, remaining united whatever the results and shunning violence.

    The Church and the international community are concerned about possible disorder and a potential explosion of violence after the results of the elections are known July 5. The Mexican bishops' conference has suggested various liturgical and penitential activities between June 29 and July 5 including saying the Holy Rosary and offering flowers on June 30, the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Also planned is the celebration of a Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Saturday and the perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament by cloistered religious between June 29 and July 5 when definitive electoral results will be released.

    The elections could mark the end of an era for Mexico. If the Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI) were to lose power after 70 years of government it would shake the country to its foundations. For the first time in seven decades voters will have a wide choice of candidates including Francisco Labastida of the ruling party, Vicente Fox, a former Coca-Cola executive running for the opposition Party of National Action, Cuauhtemoc Cardenas of the Democratic Revolution Party, Gilbert Rincon of the Democratic Social Party, and Manuel Camacho of the Democratic Center Party.

    The New York-based organization Human Rights Watch observed in a dispatch that while Mexico has made considerable progress in moving toward a fair electoral system, the lack of respect for human rights remains a major problem for the country, hindering efforts to achieve peace and democracy.

    The United Nations and the Organization of American States have documented numerous abuses including the use of torture, assassinations, disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and the violation of the rights of workers

    Against this background, appeals for peace have been made to ordinary Mexicans and to political leaders, echoing the messages of Christian reconciliation delivered by Pope John Paul II. Bishop Carlos Talavera Ramirez of Coatzacoalcos, president of the bishops' Apostolate of Lay People, appealed to all lay organizations and movements to actively promote the prayer campaign so that the Lord may guide the Mexican people in this decisive, historic moment.

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