Ecuador Catholic Church Stance on Constitution under Fire

Quito, Jul 29 (Prensa Latina) 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.