Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
The body of a man, who died from the COVID 19, lies on a stretcher at San Isidro crematory in Mexico City June 29, 2020. (CNS photo/Edgard Garrido, Reuters) 

MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- Mexico's bishops have expressed alarm over the scope of the COVID-19 crisis, which they say is continuing to expand across the country even as health authorities allow the gradual resumption of economic activity.

The bishops also called for a more robust government response to the pandemic -- both on the health and economic fronts -- saying health officials have a "moral obligation" to "provide certainty to people when they find themselves confused," and that millions of families whose wage-earners were thrown out of work are facing the prospect of falling into poverty.

"It's necessary that the civil authorities make all possible efforts to provide solid and transparent information, along with the number of deaths (the pandemic) causes. Hence, it would be opportune that testing be widespread, constant and expeditious," the statement continued, referring to Mexico's low rate of COVID-19 testing, among the lowest in the hemisphere.

Journalists' investigations have indicated deaths from COVID-19 are being undercounted.

The bishops' statement comes as Mexico confronts questions over its COVID-19 strategy and an economic crisis, which has cost it an estimated 12 million jobs. The pandemic is expected to push the poverty rate to 60% of the population, according to the bishops' statement.

Mexico has recorded more than 220,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 27,100 deaths as of June 29, according to the Heath Secretariat. Its COVID-19 death toll ranks seventh among nations and is expected to soon surpass Spain and France, both of which were hit hard by the coronavirus, but have recovered somewhat.

Mexico's COVID-19 strategy has been somewhat of an outlier, according to health experts, who say the country has pursued a policy of testing only the sickest of patients and depending on disease modeling to guide its response. The country performs just 3.3 tests per 1,000 people -- 25 times less than the United States as of June 23, according to Our World In Data.

The country's models have produced erroneous predictions. Dr. Hugo Lopez-Gatell, coronavirus czar, said the pandemic's peak would arrive around May 8 and the death toll would top out at 6,000.

Mexico's economic response also has been scant as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has promoted austerity.

The president has responded with cuts to government, loans of roughly $1,000 to the smallest of businesses and the pushing ahead of payments for social program recipients. He rejected big business bailouts, saying such solutions only benefited the rich in past crises, and has refused to defer tax payments.

Lopez Obrador also has lauded families, who traditionally provide a social safety net for members in times of crisis.

"(In) Mexico, by tradition, women care for the parents," Lopez Obrador said June 25. "With respect to other countries, it's helped us enormously that Mexican families have the custom of being very fraternal, very supportive, taking care of the elderly."

The bishops also recognized the importance of families in riding out the pandemic, but they said families are lacking resources, and the incidence of family violence during quarantine has been soaring.

"Families deserve to be recognized, not only as the basic cell of society, but also as an institution that compensates for the shortcomings in health care that we have as a country," the bishops said. "(This) doesn't mean we stop trying to overcome these shortcomings with appropriate public policies."

With unemployment reaching record levels and businesses closing, the bishops called for "solidarity and putting in what little we have." But they also urged lawmakers "to propose better solutions and incentives" for the country's productive sectors.

"Neglecting those who generate jobs will not bring any positive results in the medium and long term," the bishops said.

We don’t have comments turned on everywhere anymore. We have recently relaunched the commenting experience at America and are aiming for a more focused commenting experience with better moderation by opening comments on a select number of articles each day.

But we still want your feedback. You can join the conversation about this article with us in social media on Twitter or Facebook, or in one of our Facebook discussion groups for various topics.

Or send us feedback on this article with one of the options below:

We welcome and read all letters to the editor but, due to the volume received, cannot guarantee a response.

In order to be considered for publication, letters should be brief (around 200 words or less) and include the author’s name and geographic location. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

We open comments only on select articles so that we can provide a focused and well-moderated discussion on interesting topics. If you think this article provides the opportunity for such a discussion, please let us know what you'd like to talk about, or what interesting question you think readers might want to respond to.

If we decide to open comments on this article, we will email you to let you know.

If you have a message for the author, we will do our best to pass it along. Note that if the article is from a wire service such as Catholic News Service, Religion News Service, or the Associated Press, we will not have direct contact information for the author. We cannot guarantee a response from any author.

We welcome any information that will help us improve the factual accuracy of this piece. Thank you.

Please consult our Contact Us page for other options to reach us.

City and state/province, or if outside Canada or the U.S., city and country. 
When you click submit, this article page will reload. You should see a message at the top of the reloaded page confirming that your feedback has been received.

The latest from america

his own hands bound by his will, they offer no resistance, to those he knows will kill
Angela Alaimo O'DonnellOctober 10, 2024
Because this house is a dandelion gone to seed. Fragile and full of possibility.
Colleen ShaddoxOctober 10, 2024
In the spring of 2023, six students from Xavier High School visited Auschwitz with staff and faculty as part of the school’s new Holocaust studies program (photo: Brian McCabe). 
Xavier High School’s Holocaust studies program includes book and movie discussions, as well as opportunities for both domestic and international trips.
Maggie PhillipsOctober 10, 2024
The music we hear at Mass makes a difference. Our son looks forward to church all week long, and the music is the reason why.
Michael Jordan LaskeyOctober 10, 2024