12 July, 2025

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Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi: Do Not Corrupt the Concept of “People”

The true meaning of 'people,' denouncing the manipulative use of the term in the political and social sphere

Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi: Do Not Corrupt the Concept of “People”

Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi, Bishop Emeritus of San Cristóbal de Las Casas and head of the Doctrine of the Faith at the  Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM), offers Exaudi readers his weekly article.

FACTS

Even though 87% of voters in Mexico did not participate in the recent elections for the judiciary, as a way of expressing our dissatisfaction with the practice of the previous six-year term, they continue to proclaim that it was the people who elected the new judges and magistrates, and that the people rule, and that everything comes with the people and nothing without the people, and that the people decide…  And those of us who decided not to vote, aren’t we people? Don’t we count? Isn’t our abstention an expression of the majority will of the people? Isn’t our silence at the time of voting a voice to the four winds? Instead of disqualifying the international bodies that have criticized this method of electing the judiciary, we should dispassionately analyze the expression of a people who decided not to vote, despite so much propaganda with which they tried to convince us to do so. Our abstention has been a largely popular expression.

In my town, with 1,200 eligible voters, only 60 turned out; only 5%. And those who did vote, the majority, were senior citizens, whom the regime has tied down with the threat that if they don’t, they’ll lose their social program support. Some went to the polling station to spoil their votes, for the same reason. Are only senior citizens who applaud what the government demands heard? Is that the people  they boast about so much? And we, those of us who aren’t tied down by the government’s social programs, aren’t we the people?

There are different ways of taking the people into account. There is a form of democracy, which is the power of the people, which is representative, when, for example, rulers or legislators are elected, whom the popular vote legitimizes. There are other, more participatory democracies, such as when a legally authorized referendum or plebiscite is held. It is not a show of hands at a rally of one’s own followers. In indigenous communities that preserve the richness of their culture, no one campaigns; rather, the people, in an open assembly, elect whoever they consider most suitable for the various positions, even if they resist.

In our Church, which is not democratic, there is a way for the people to participate, for example, in pastoral councils, which are prescribed by our canon law, and in so many other forms of participation. The election of bishops is not by popular vote; but there is a system of consultations to hear from various members of the People of God. It is done in a very secretive, but very effective manner. It is not decided by a majority vote at a meeting, which can be subject to multiple manipulations. Furthermore, if someone campaigns to be a bishop, by that very fact they are already disqualified. The recent Synod on Synodality calls for more consultation with the people for this election, but the decision does not depend on a majority vote. The Pope, having prayerfully analyzed the opinions and proposals that reach him from around the world, makes the final decision. Jesus Christ did not establish us as a democracy, but as the People of God with participation and communion. In the election of the Pope, we all participate, not by casting a vote, but by praying to the Holy Spirit to enlighten the cardinal electors, and our prayer was answered; we all participated in his election.

LIGHTNING

Pope Francis, in his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, says:  “There are popular leaders capable of interpreting the sentiments of a people, its cultural dynamics, and the major trends of a society. The service they provide, uniting and leading, can be the basis for a lasting project of transformation and growth, which also implies the capacity to give way to others for the common good. But it leads to unhealthy populism when it becomes someone’s ability to captivate, or politically instrumentalize, the culture of the people, under any ideological sign, in the service of their personal project and their perpetuation in power. At other times, they seek to gain popularity by exacerbating the baser and more selfish inclinations of some sectors of the population. This is aggravated when it turns, in crude or subtle forms, into a subjugation of institutions and the rule of law.”

Closed populist groups distort the word “people,” since they don’t really speak of a true people. Indeed, the category of “people” is open. A living, dynamic people with a future is one that is permanently open to new syntheses, incorporating those who are different. They do so not by denying themselves, but rather with a willingness to be mobilized, challenged, expanded, and enriched by others, and in this way, they can evolve.

Another expression of the degradation of popular leadership is immediacy. People respond to popular demands in order to secure votes or approval, but without advancing the arduous and constant task of generating resources for people for their own development, so that they can sustain their lives with their effort and creativity. Along these lines, I clearly stated that I am far from proposing an irresponsible populism. On the one hand, overcoming inequality presupposes economic development, taking advantage of the potential of each region and thus ensuring sustainable equity. On the other hand, assistance plans, which address certain emergencies, should only be considered temporary responses  (Nos. 159-161).

ACTIONS

We are all people, as a society and as a Church. Let us not expect the civil or ecclesiastical government to do and decide everything. Let us contribute our words and our actions, because we are living members of a living body.

Felipe Arizmendi

Nacido en Chiltepec el 1 de mayo de 1940. Estudió Humanidades y Filosofía en el Seminario de Toluca, de 1952 a 1959. Cursó la Teología en la Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca, España, de 1959 a 1963, obteniendo la licenciatura en Teología Dogmática. Por su cuenta, se especializó en Liturgia. Fue ordenado sacerdote el 25 de agosto de 1963 en Toluca. Sirvió como Vicario Parroquial en tres parroquias por tres años y medio y fue párroco de una comunidad indígena otomí, de 1967 a 1970. Fue Director Espiritual del Seminario de Toluca por diez años, y Rector del mismo de 1981 a 1991. El 7 de marzo de 1991, fue ordenado obispo de la diócesis de Tapachula, donde estuvo hasta el 30 de abril del año 2000. El 1 de mayo del 2000, inició su ministerio episcopal como XLVI obispo de la diócesis de San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, una de las diócesis más antiguas de México, erigida en 1539; allí sirvió por casi 18 años. Ha ocupado diversos cargos en la Conferencia del Episcopado Mexicano y en el CELAM. El 3 de noviembre de 2017, el Papa Francisco le aceptó, por edad, su renuncia al servicio episcopal en esta diócesis, que entregó a su sucesor el 3 de enero de 2018. Desde entonces, reside en la ciudad de Toluca. Desde 1979, escribe artículos de actualidad en varios medios religiosos y civiles. Es autor de varias publicaciones.