REFLECTIONS ON MEXICAN SECULARISM

Abstract

In Mexico, the secular state has been forged through centuries of conflict, reform, and political negotiation between the Church—particularly the Catholic Church—and successive holders of political power. Recent reforms have aimed to expand the effective exercise of religious freedom and to recognize the political rights of ministers of worship. Yet the struggle for freedom remains ongoing. This article examines how Mexican courts have unevenly interpreted and applied the principle of secularism, often deploying it as a mechanism to exclude Christianity from the public sphere. It offers a historical-legal account of the evolution of secularism in Mexico, critically assesses whether the current model fosters genuine pluralism of belief in the public domain, and advances a proposal for strengthening the secular state.