Mexico Archdiocese Says American Xenophobia Is ‘Main Enemy’ to Defeat

The Catholic archdiocese of Mexico City published an editorial Sunday denouncing xenophobia in the United States as the primary enemy to be defeated and the underlying cause of recent gun violence.

“Mexico and the United States are in a battle against time, in which xenophobia, which increasingly feeds the culture of hate in our neighboring country, is the main enemy to defeat,” the editorial reads.

The article, which also calls for tighter gun control laws in the U.S., appeared Sunday in Desde la Fe, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Mexico, headed by Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes.

“Massive shootings last weekend that claimed the lives of at least 29 people and left half a hundred injured in Texas and Ohio once again put pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump and the U.S. Congress to legislate in favor of greater control in the acquisition of weapons by civilians,” the editorial said.

“What American society fails to understand,” it continues, “is that weapons are not the only cause of these criminal actions, but that there is a more complicated backdrop that has its roots in a lack of values, starting with respect for life.”

The United States bishops have urged Catholics to “raise their voices for the necessary changes in national culture so that the banner of xenophobic hatred stops gaining strength,” the article stated.

Curiously, although the archdiocesan editorial spoke of the shootings in both El Paso and Dayton, only one of these apparently involved any sort of “xenophobia,” namely the El Paso shooting.

Connor Betts, the Dayton shooter, described himself instead as a leftist, praised socialism, defended immigration, and supported Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. He was also a Satanist and his Twitter bio read, “I’m going to hell and I’m not coming back.”

There is no indication of any sort of xenophobia in Betts’ biography, but he did express hatred for the police and sympathy for violent antifa protesters.

Last week, the same Mexico City archdiocesan newspaper wrote that recent acts of violence against innocent persons both in the United States and Mexico were motivated “by intolerance, xenophobia, and discrimination.”

“With sadness we see that these acts of violence are increasing, encouraged by those who create divisions, close their hearts to their peers, and do not recognize the human dignity that every person possesses, regardless of their skin color or nationality,” read a statement from the Mexican bishops’ conference and signed by Monterrey archbishop Rogelio Cabrera López, its president.

Follow @tdwilliamsrome