Bishop Ulloa
Denounces Costa
Rica Court
Ruling
Bishop Francisco
Ulloa of Cartago
in Costa Rica
expressed regret
this week over
the recent
ruling by the
Tribunal Supremo
de Elecciones
(TSE)
which censured
him for
reminding
Catholics they
could not
support
political
policies that go
against
Christian
principles, and
said it would
not silence the
bishops in their
mission to
preach the
faith.
The May 3 ruling
by the court was
against Bishop
Ulloa and in
favor of the
lawsuit filed by
the Movement for
a Secular State.
The Bishops’
Conference of
Costa Rica
expressed
solidarity with
Bishop Ulloa and
“the actions he
carries out in
defense of his
fundamental
rights before
the competent
offices and
agencies.”
In an interview
published by the
newspaper La
Republica,
Bishop Ulloa
said, “According
to the ruling,
we bishops would
not be able to
express an
opinion about
aspects that
support the
common good.
This is the
great danger, as
many could cite
our opinions and
then file a
lawsuit claiming
we are violating
the ruling. This
is the critical
and dangerous
part of this
ruling.”
“I will continue
speaking out
when necessary,
defending God’s
interests,
guiding our
people, because
that is my
mission,” he
said. “This norm
needs to be
reviewed because
it is
discriminatory
and in reality
disregards human
rights.”
After noting
that he learned
of the ruling
while out of the
country, Bishop
Ulloa said it
caught his
attention
because “it is
based on a 19th
century
constitutional
norm. And it has
its origin in
that struggle
between the
Liberal Party
and the Church,
when a party
called the
Catholic Union
existed. Today
this norm is
outdated, and
canon law itself
specifies that
clerics have no
business
participating in
any particular
party or
supporting or
rejecting a
specific
candidate.”
Bishop Ulloa
thanked the
bishops'
conference for
its support and
said, “This
ruling not only
affects me but
all bishops,
priests and even
lay Catholics,
as it forbids
spreading
material that
invokes the
religious
sentiments of
the people. This
is very serious,
as it limits the
freedom of
expression of
everyone, and in
addition any
statements that
could be
misinterpreted.”
Likewise, he
said, “The
accusation that
I have engaged
in political
propaganda is
not true. I did
not refer to any
political party
or to any
candidate.
Moreover, the
elections hadn’t
taken place yet,
all the
candidates had
not announced
their campaigns,
and the purpose
was never to
refer to
politics
itself.”
“The context was
about a proposal
to eliminate the
name of God from
the Constitution
and other
similar
proposals. I
felt in
conscience the
need to bring
this to the
attention of the
people, as this
is a majority
Catholic
country,” the
bishop said.
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