Mexican bishops call for national unity in the face of Trump’s policies toward the country

Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum meets with the country’s bishops during their plenary assembly on Nov. 13, 2024. / Credit: Courtesy of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference

Puebla, Mexico, Feb 26, 2025 / 16:05 pm (CNA).

Faced with uncertainty about the impact of the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, especially regarding America’s relationship with Mexico, the Mexican bishops are calling for the strengthening of “authentic national unity.”

Last month, at the beginning of his second term in office, Trump announced various measures that directly affect Mexico, including the declaration of an emergency on the U.S. southern border, the designation of drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations,” and the threat of imposing 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports unless these issues are quickly addressed by those countries.

In this context, the Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM, by its Spanish acronym) published a message on Feb. 24 addressed to Mexican society stating that the actions announced by the U.S. government seek to “pressure our country to achieve very specific goals in government planning.”

“Fighting the activities of organized crime dedicated to drug trafficking, addressing the immigration issue, and overcoming the disadvantages in economic relations between the two countries that, according to its criteria, are unfavorable for America” are the issues at stake, the bishops said in a statement.

However, they expressed their confidence that these challenges can be faced “in a climate of unity between the different Mexican political forces to promote a respectful dialogue and a prudent openness toward the American government to agree on mutual collaboration.”

‘The real enemy is in our own country’

The CEM also emphasized that, beyond foreign policy, “the real enemy is in our own country where we need authentic national unity to overcome our serious internal problems that have not been properly addressed for years and are becoming increasingly worse.”

They pointed to problems such as “corruption that continues to invade all our environments,” “insecurity that spreads its bloodthirsty fury in ever-widening territories,” “institutional deterioration to the point where the law no longer governs but rather the will of whoever prevails,” among others.

Despite the numerous challenges, the bishops indicated that many problems can be overcome “through inclusive government strategies that take into account the different political forces, organized civil society, religious associations, and citizen participation in general.”

They called on all Mexicans to join in prayer for their country, to be peacemakers in their daily lives, and to actively commit themselves to the search for the common good.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.