Ecuador Catholic Church
Stance on Constitution
under Fire
The Ecuadorian
Government questioned
the Catholic Church for
criticizing a
Constitutional bill
pending a referendum,
and engaging in
political campaign.
Augusto Barrera,
coordinator between the
Executive and the
Constituent Assembly,
which drafted and
approved the new
Constitution, expressed
disagreement with the
country's Episcopal
Conference, which
announced a campaign to
warn of consequences of
the initiative regarding
abortion and family.
"It is not true that the
Constitution favors
abortion. It undoubtedly
and clearly protects
life and establishes
protection and care from
the very beginning that
is conception,"
explained Barrera.
On Monday, despite
Catholic Church's voiced
disagreement with a text
it considered contrary
to life and family, it
denied any involvement
in politics in this
country of 13 million
inhabitants, mostly
Catholic.
On Saturday, President
Rafael Correa said some
priests are campaigning
from the pulpits against
the Constitution with
false arguments, saying
that it is pro-abortion
and totalitarian.
Constituent Assembly
President Fernando
Cordero presented the
new Constitution to the
TSE (Supreme Electoral
Court) to be subject to
a referendum, scheduled
for September 28.
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