The vice president of the Mexican Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Gustavo Rodríguez Vega, defended the act despite the dismay it caused among the faithful.

During the 14 November funeral Mass of judge and activist Ociel Baena and his romantic partner, supporters covered their caskets with LGBT flags.

Rodríguez, the archbishop of Yucatán, pointed out that Baena and his partner are "children of God and our brothers" and so "we could not, in any way, not receive them in the church. Especially when the family wanted them to be taken there [to the Aguascalientes cathedral]."

Ociel Baena notably requested to be addressed as "magistrade" - reflecting a nonbinary identity. In May, Baena was the first to receive a "nonbinary" passport, a category created by the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Claims of hate crime

The couple's bodies, showing signs of violence, were discovered inside Baena's house on 13 November.

Investigators suggested "everything indicates that it could be a personal matter" since "a sharp instrument" was found in the hands of one of the deceased.

Several comments on Facebook questioned the quick conclusions of the investigators and claimed it was a hate crime.

Father Francisco Torres Ruiz, a liturgy expert, clarified the church's stance on symbols at funeral Masses, emphasising that ideological symbols contrary to Christian beliefs should not be present.

Ruiz suggested the attending priest could "indicate to the family or the funeral planners that that symbology is strictly prohibited."

However Ruiz added "it's a very forced situation for the priest, because he's not going to stop a celebration to remove that flag."

"There is no problem" said Archbishop Rodriguez, because "there was no intention to offend anyone.

"They are also welcome to all the services that the Church can offer" he concluded.

Sources

Catholic News Agency

Independent

The group is being blamed for last week's bombing of the Mexican bishops' conference offices.

No-one was injured in the early morning blast, which caused little damage to the building. So far nobody has been arrested.

Although news reports say the anarchist group posted a signed statement about the bombing on Contra Info - an international website claiming to be run by "anarchists, anti-authoritarians and libertarians" - there is no link to an English language copy of the statement.

Nor does there appear to be a Spanish-language version on the website.

According to the news reports, the ContraInfo post says the anarchists claim to have planted the bomb as retaliation "For every torture and murder in the name of your God! For every child defiled by paedophile priests!"

The bishops conference declined to comment on the alleged attackers, saying it will be "the authorities who determine the veracity of that message and if it will be part of its investigation. We will continue working normally."

The Mexico City says it is referring the case to the federal attorney general's office as the attack was on "a building administered by a religious association."

Source

• CNA
• The Dialog
• National Post
• Image: Agenda EFE

The building is in the northern part of Mexico City near the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is considered is one of the world's most important Catholic shrines.

Occupants of the Bishops Conference building reported hearing the bomb go off and noticed broken glass and damage to the door when they went to check the source of the sound.

Experts in forensics, explosives and photography have been sent to the site to collect evidence. Once the preliminary investigation is completed, the case will be passed to the Mexican Attorney General's office.

There was no immediate word on possible suspects or motive.

A Tweet from Bishop Ramon Castro says he thinks the incident "reflects the situation in Mexico," where homicide rates are on the rise amid a drug war that's over a decade old

Three Catholic priests have been murdered in Mexico this year, bringing the number killed since 2013 up to 18. Some were murdered during robberies, extortions and kidnappings, where it is not clear if they were targeted because of their religion.

Source

• US News
• CNA
• Image: reportecatolicolaico.com