Journalists profile conservative activist
It turned out to be an unusual book launch. Scheduled to begin at 5pm yesterday afternoon in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, the authors Salvador Frausto and Témoris Grecko (both of them journalists) were to present their profile of Jorge Serrano Limón – Mexico’s most prominent Catholic fundamentalist and anti-abortion campaigner.
But when we arrived, attendees of the event were loitering outside on the sidewalk. “No hay luz,” they explained with a shrug. There was no electricity. That’s not unusual in Mexico City, only generally power cuts affect whole blocks. Last night, the light was only out in the Centro Cultural de Foco where the launch was scheduled to take place.
The organizers joked that it was sabotage, and friends of the authors reported that cables had been deliberately cut.
But we weren’t put off. At around 5:30pm we all shuffled into the building carefully, guided by candlelight into our seats. We sat in the darkness waiting for the presentation to start.
“Serrano Limón is a fundamentalist who thinks that the modern world is wrong,” stated Roberto Blancarte, a professor and investigator at the Colegio de Mexico and a specialist on religion. The organizers were sitting in front of a black backdrop on which had been mounted a simple, wooden cross.
And then, as Blancarte spoke, the light returned. An electric spotlight suddenly illuminated the speakers, cutting through the darkness like a celestial beam. The audience applauded.
“He epitomizes the right. He summarizes in brief what is a bigger phenomenon,” said Blancarte.
“El Vocero de Dios: Jorge Serrano Limón y la cruzada para dominar tu sexo, tu vida y tu país”, which translates loosely into “God’s spokesman: Jorge Serrano Limón and the crusade to dominate your sex, your life and your country”, is an in-depth look at the life of the conservative activist, who, according to the authors, “has influenced the Mexican public sphere for the last 20 years.”
The rhetoric of Serrano Limón is steeped in Catholicism’s most conservation traditions. A devout Catholic who claims to serve God, he at one stage considered the priesthood but instead opted for married life.
Frausto and Gecko report that he has opposed works of theater and art exhibitions, pitted himself against lawmakers and film directors, and planted himself in opposition to the use of condoms, the morning after pill and the legalization of abortion.
Mexico City is the only part of the country in which abortion is legal. Serrano Limón was at the frontline of a anti-abortion campaign earlier this year to overturn legislation implemented in April 2007 which decriminalized abortion in Mexico’s capital.
Blancarte said during last night’s presentation: “The problem is how much resonance he has with many people.”
To many Mexicans, Serrano Limón is a religious fanatic and moralist. In 2005, he was accused of diverting public funds in an incident that became known as the “tanga scandal”. His anti-abortion organization, called Provida, was fined 13 million pesos for spending public money on expensive watches and women’s underwear.
But the controversial activist has a broad base of support from many people in Mexico, as well as from the Roman Catholic Church and the more conservative strands of Mexico President Felipe Calderon’s National Action Party.
Although Serrano Limón wasn’t there to defend himself last night, we were told by the authors that he has read the book. His supporters produced the following video in response, in which Serrano Limón says that he is a truly happy man who loves his wife, his children and his job. He describes himself as a common man, like any other, with faults and defects, but as someone who has taken the decision to defend his ideals.
“El Vocero de Dios: Jorge Serrano Limón y la cruzada para dominar tu sexo, tu vida y tu país” is published by Grijalbo, Random House.
– Deborah Bonello and Los Angeles Times investigator Cecilia Sanchez in Mexico City. This post was written for la Plaza, of the Los Angeles Times.
[...] Deborah Bonello, of the Los Angeles Times Mexico City bureau attends a book launch for a new profile of Jorge Serrano Limón, “Mexico’s most prominent Catholic fundamentalist and anti-abortion campaigner” (and one of the masterminds behind Martha Fox’s “Vamos Mexico” campaign — modeled on the Eva Peron Foundation of early 1950s Argentina, though with a much more right-ward political stance than Peron). [...]
Awesome stuff. Thanks a bunch for sharing this.
Muchas gracias por compartirlo. Un saludo.
Nice, thank you.
Thanks for this great post.
I am writing to let you be aware of of the exceptional encounter my daughter went through using yuor web blog. She came to understand so many things, which included what it is like to have an amazing teaching spirit to have a number of people quite simply completely grasp various impossible topics. You truly surpassed visitors’ expected results. Many thanks for showing the priceless, dependable, informative not to mention easy thoughts on the topic to Janet.
Thanks for the recommendations you have provided here. Something else I would like to say is that laptop memory needs generally increase along with other developments in the technologies. For instance, as soon as new generations of cpus are brought to the market, there is certainly usually a matching increase in the type calls for of both the laptop memory plus hard drive space. This is because the software operated through these processors will inevitably rise in power to leverage the new technological know-how.
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Ross I was still dazed and confused after Id watch the third replay, so God knows what hed be like to play against.
Wohh precisely what I was looking for, appreciate it for putting up. “If it’s meant to be it’s up to me.” by Terri Gulick.
Some genuinely quality articles on this website , saved to favorites .
I think you have observed some very interesting details , thankyou for the post.
Thanks for sharing superb informations. Your web site is very cool. I am impressed by the details that you’ve on this website. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for more articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found just the info I already searched everywhere and just couldn’t come across. What a great website.
Wow! This can be one particular of the most useful blogs We’ve ever arrive across on this subject. Actually Great. I’m also an expert in this topic so I can understand your effort.
Very interesting information!Perfect just what I was searching for! “Better and ugly face than an ugly mind.” by James.
Some really fantastic articles on this web site, thanks for contribution. “A man with a new idea is a crank — until the idea succeeds.” by Mark Twain.
I view something genuinely interesting about your website so I bookmarked .
Thanks for helping out, great information. “If at first you don’t succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.” by Bill Lyon.
Nice read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing some research on that. And he just bought me lunch because I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch! “Procrastination is the thief of time.” by Edward Young.
I like this weblog so much, saved to bookmarks. “Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.” by Peter De Vries.
Thank you for the sensible critique. Me and my neighbor were just preparing to do some research on this. We got a grab a book from our area library but I think I learned more clear from this post. I’m very glad to see such wonderful information being shared freely out there.
Yay google is my queen assisted me to find this outstanding website ! . “I believe half the unhappiness in life comes from people being afraid to go straight at things.” by William J. Locke.
You could certainly see your expertise within the work you write. The arena hopes for even more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. All the time go after your heart. “Experience is a good school, but the fees are high.” by Heinrich Heine.
It’s in point of fact a nice and helpful piece of information. I’m satisfied that you just shared this helpful information with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
Some genuinely quality content on this web site , saved to favorites .
Thanks for helping out, wonderful information. “Job dissatisfaction is the number one factor in whether you survive your first heart attack.” by Anthony Robbins.
Very interesting details you have remarked, thanks for posting.
I like this web blog very much, Its a really nice berth to read and get information.
Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing some research on that. And he just bought me lunch as I found it for him smile Thus let me rephrase that: Thank you for lunch! “We strain to renew our capacity for wonder, to shock ourselves into astonishment once again.” by Shana Alexander.
Some really good blog posts on this web site, thanks for contribution. “For today and its blessings, I owe the world an attitude of gratitude.” by Clarence E. Hodges.
You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be really something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
Merely wanna input on few general things, The website design is perfect, the subject material is really wonderful. “The reason there are two senators for each state is so that one can be the designated driver.” by Jay Leno.
Unquestionably consider that that you stated. Your favourite justification appeared to be at the web the simplest factor to understand of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed even as other folks think about worries that they plainly do not recognise about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as neatly as outlined out the entire thing with no need side-effects , other folks could take a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks!
Hey, you used to write great, but the last few posts have been kinda boring… I miss your tremendous writings. Past several posts are just a bit out of track! come on!
Wohh precisely what I was looking for, thank you for putting up.