Cardinal rejects U.S. criticism of Mexican drug-fighting efforts

Published: 2005-02-03

MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- Mexico City Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera rejected recent U.S. criticism of Mexican efforts to fight drug trafficking. "I don't think the United States has the moral authority to criticize us," Cardinal Rivera told reporters following Mass Jan. 30. "They, too, suffer from this problem and haven't been able to solve it." Cardinal Rivera urged officials on both sides of the border to cool off. "It's not through confrontation or mutual criticism that this problem will be solved, but rather through joining forces" and through actions by schools, civil society and the churches to discourage drug use, Cardinal Rivera said. He said U.S. and Mexican authorities had made excellent progress in fighting drug gangs, but that "this problem won't be solved through force; the people need to be educated" on the ills of drug use. U.S.-Mexican tensions flared after U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza sent a letter to Mexican officials in which he criticized "the inability of local law enforcement to come to grips with rising drug warfare."

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