Salt Lake Telegram | 1934-05-22 | Page 1 | Priests Flee from Sonora to U. S. Border

PRIESTS FLEE FLEETO FROM SONORA TO US U.S. BORDER Mexican State Expels Expels' All Catholic Clergymen After Dispute MANY CHURCHES CLOSED Compulsory Sex Education Precipitates Break By Associated d Press NO NOGALES GALES Ariz May 22 22 Catho Catho Catholic lic lie priests were reported fleeing from Sonora Mexico toward the United States today under an expulsion order or or- der by the governor of ot the Mexican state Reports from the border state said r religious ous services were at an end in all in Sonora Many of DC the churches were reported closed Governor R Rudolfo dolfo- dolfo Ella Elias Call CallEs CallE S son of oC the former Mexican president under under un der er whose regime man many Catholic dignitaries dignitaries dignitaries dig dig- fled charging religious persecution persecution perse se cution said Jae e last night i in Tucson Ariz his order merel merely enforces nr i es provisions provisions provisions pro pro- visions of the th of 1917 1017 Ministers Must Be Citizens He said Mexican la law requires that ministers of oC an any church must be Mexican Mex Mex- ican lean citizens that the republic has provided all church property is state property and the government has limited limited limited lim lim- the number of ministers in an any community Rafael Ruiz mayor of ot Nogales Sonora Sonora So So- nora said the the- order was caused by priests delving into politics and inter inter- CerIng with the government The expulsion of ot the priests the thema ma mayor or said was vas due to a reli religious ious circular issued by Bishop Juan Nava- Nava Naya- Naya rette now exiled at El Paso which denounced the educational policies of oC the state I This circular incited Sonora school schoolteachers schoolteachers schoolteachers teachers to revolt against rationalistic teachings and against free sexual education education education edu edu- cation to both sexes Clergy Attacks Plan lIe He said Governor Calles told him the clergy had attempted to attack the new educational onal plan by claiming claiming claiming claim claim- ing men and women would be disrobed dis dis' disrobed robed in classrooms for purposes of eugenic education Father Jose Reyes Silva of at Ures who crossed into the United d States yesterday esterd y said The reas reason n for tor our expulsion from Sonora Is that the state government apparently wants to take all notions of God away from the people