Mexico

Article 3: Education

The education imparted by the Federal State shall be designed to develop harmoniously all the faculties of the human being and shall foster in him at the same time a love of country and a consciousness of international solidarity, in independence and justice.

1. Freedom of religious beliefs being guaranteed by Article 24, the standard which shall guide such education shall be maintained entirely apart from any religious doctrine and, based on the results of scientific progress, shall strive against ignorance and its effects, servitudes, fanaticism, and prejudices. Moreover:
   1. It shall be democratic, considering democracy not only as a legal structure and a political regimen, but as a system of life founded on a constant economic, social, and cultural betterment of the people;
   2. It shall be national insofar as -- without hostility or exclusiveness -it shall achieve the understanding of our problems, the utilization of our resources, the defense of our political independence, the assurance of our economic independence, and the continuity and growth of our culture; and
   3. It shall contribute to better human relationships, not only with the elements which it contributes toward strengthening and at the same time inculcating, together with respect for the dignity of the person and the integrity of the family, the conviction of the general interest of society, but also by the care which it devotes to the ideals of brotherhood and equality of rights of all men, avoiding privileges of race, creed, class, sex, or persons.
2. Private persons may engage in education of all kinds and grades. But as regards elementary, secondary, and normal education (and that of any kind or grade designed for laborers and farm workers) they must previously obtain, in every case, the express authorization of the public power. Such authorization may be refused or revoked by decisions against which there can be no judicial proceedings or recourse.
3. Private institutions devoted to education of the kinds and grades specified in the preceding section must be without exception in conformity with the provisions of sections I and II of the first paragraph of this article and must also be in harmony with official plans and programs.
4. Religious corporations, ministers of religion, stock companies which exclusively or predominantly engage in educational activities, and associations or companies devoted to propagation of any religious creed shall not in any way participate in institutions giving elementary, secondary and normal education and education for laborers or field workers.
5. The State may in its discretion withdraw at any time the recognition of official validity of studies conducted in private institutions.
6. Elementary education shall be compulsory.
7. All education given by the State shall be free.
8. The Congress of the Union, with a view to unifying and coordinating education throughout the Republic, shall issue the necessary laws for dividing the social function of education among the Federation, the States and the Municipalities, for fixing the appropriate financial allocations for this public service and for establishing the penalties applicable to officials who do not comply with or enforce the pertinent provisions, as well as the penalties applicable to all those who infringe such provisions.

Article 5: Protection of Liberty ... The State cannot permit the execution of any contract, covenant, or agreement having for its object the restriction, loss or irrevocable sacrifice of the liberty of man, whether for work, education, or religious vows. The law, therefore, does not permit the establishment of monastic orders, whatever be their denomination or purpose. Likewise no person can legally agree to his own proscription or exile, or to the temporary or permanent renunciation of the exercise of a given profession or industrial or commercial pursuit. ...

Article 24: Freedom of Religion

Everyone is free to embrace the religion of his choice and to practice all ceremonies, devotions, or observances of his respective faith, either in places of public worship or at home, provided they do not constitute an offense punishable by law. Every religious act of public worship must be performed strictly inside places of public worship, which shall at all times be under governmental supervision.

Article 27: Property II. All religious associations organized according to article 130 and its derived legislation, shall be authorized to acquire, possess or manage just the necessary assets to achieve their objectives;

Article 130: Federal Power regarding Religion The federal powers shall exercise the supervision required by law in matters relating to religious worship and outward ecclesiastical forms. Other authorities shall act as auxiliaries of the Federation.Congress cannot enact laws establishing or prohibiting any religion.

Marriage is a civil contract. This and other acts of a civil nature concerning persons are within the exclusive competence of civil officials and authorities, in the manner prescribed by law, and shall have the force and validity defined by said law.

A simple promise to tell the truth and to fulfill obligations that are contracted is binding on the one who so promises, and in the event of failure to do so, he shall be subject to the penalties that the law prescribes for this purpose.

The law does not recognize any personality in religious groups called churches.

Ministers of denominations shall be considered as persons who practice a profession and shall be directly subject to the laws enacted on such matters.

Only the legislatures of the States shall have the power to determine the maximum number of ministers of denominations necessary for local needs.

To practice the ministry of any denomination in the United Mexican States it is necessary to be a Mexican by birth.

Ministers of denominations may never, in a public or private meeting constituting an assembly, or in acts of worship or religious propaganda, criticize the fundamental laws of the country or the authorities of the Government, specifically or generally. They shall not have an active or passive vote nor the right to form associations for religious purposes.

Permission to dedicate new places of worship open to the public must be obtained from the Secretariat of Government, with previous consent of the government of the State. There must be in every church building a representative who is responsible to the authorities for compliance with the laws on religious worship in such building, and for the objects pertaining to the worship.

The representative of each church building, jointly with ten other residents of the vicinity, shall inform the municipal authorities immediately who is the person in charge of the church in question. Any change of ministry must be reported by the departing minister in person, accompanied by the new incumbent and ten other residents. The municipal authority, under penalty of removal from office and a fine of up to one thousand pesos for each violation, shall see that this provision is complied with; under the same penalty, he shall keep one registry book of church buildings and another of the representatives in charge. The municipal authority shall give notice to the Secretariat of Government, through the governor of the State, of every permit to open a new church building to the public, or of any changes among representatives in charge. Donations in the form of movable objects shall be kept in the interior of church buildings.

No privilege shall be granted or confirmed, nor shall any other step be taken which has for its purpose the validation in official courses of study, of courses pursued in establishments devoted to the professional training of ministers of religion. Any authority who violates this provision shall be criminally liable, and the privilege or step referred to shall be void and shall thereby cause the voidance of the professional degree for the attainment of which the violation of this provision was made.

Periodical publications of a religious character, whether they be such because of their program, title, or merely because of their general tendencies, may not comment on national political matters or public information on acts of the authorities of the country or of private persons directly related to the functioning of public institutions.

The formation of any kind of political group, the name of which contains any word or indication whatever that it is related to any religious denomination, is strictly prohibited. Meetings of a political character may not be held in places of worship.

A minister of any denomination may not himself or through an intermediary inherit or receive any real property occupied by any association for religious propaganda or for religious or charitable purposes. Ministers of denominations are legally incapacitated as testamentary heirs of ministers of the same denomination or of any private person who is not related to them within the fourth degree.

The acquisition by private parties of personal or real property owned by the clergy or by religious organizations shall be governed by Article 27 of this Constitution.

Trials for violation of the above provisions shall never be heard before a jury.

Article 1: Equality Before the Law In the Mexican United States all individuals shall be entitled to the privileges and immunities granted by this Constitution. Such privileges and immunities shall not be restricted or suspended, but in the cases and under the conditions established by this Constitution itself ... Discrimination based on ethnic or national origin as well as discrimination based on gender, age, disabilities of any kind, civil status or on any other reason which attempts against human dignity and which is directed to either cancel or restrain the individuals' privileges and immunities, shall be prohibited.

Article 3: Education I. According to the religious liberties established under article 24, educational services shall be secular and, therefore, free of any religious orientation.
II. The educational services shall be based on scientific progress and shall fight against ignorance, ignorance's effects, servitude, fanaticism and prejudice.

Article 24: Freedom of Religion Every man shall be free to choose and profess any religious belief as long as it is lawful and it can not be punished under criminal law.

The Congress shall not be authorized to enact laws either establishing of prohibiting a particular religion.

Religious ceremonies of public nature shall be ordinarily performed at the temples. Those performed outdoors shall be regulated under the law.

Article 55: Chamber of Deputies The members of the Chamber of Deputies shall be: ... Uncompromised from any religious bond ...

Article 82: The President The President shall: ... Not be a member or priest of any religious cult ...

Article 130: Separation of Churches and State The rules established at this article are guided by the historical principle according to which the State and the churches are separated entities from each other. Churches and religious congregations shall be organized under the law.
The Congress shall legislate for religious beliefs, churches and religious congregations. Statutory law, which will have public order's rank, shall develop and specify provisions as follows:
a) Both churches and religious congregations shall have legal existence as religious associations as long as they are registered as such. Religious associations shall be regulated under a law which will also determine the conditions and requisites to be fulfilled by them in order to obtain a constitutive registration;
b) Public authorities shall not intervene in the religious associations' internal affairs;
c) The Mexicans shall be allowed to become religious ministers. Both Mexicans and foreign citizens shall fulfill all legal requisites in order to perform any religious ministry;
d) Religious ministers shall not perform any governmental employment. However, as Mexican citizens, they shall be entitled to vote and those who have finished their religious activities according to the law, shall be entitled to be elected to public posts as well;
e) Religious ministers shall neither enter into political associations among them, nor promote or attack any candidate, political party or political association whatsoever. They shall abstain themselves from attacking either the country's laws or the country's institutions in any public gathering, religious activity or through any religious publicity. They shall also abstain from attacking the national symbols.
The naming of a political association using any religious reference shall be forbidden. Political gatherings shall never take place at temples of any sort. The aforementioned obligations shall be accepted just by promising their compliance in a verbal way. Any breach of such obligations shall be punished under the law. Religious ministers, their families as well as the religious associations which the latter are affiliated to, shall not inherit from the individuals spiritually helped by the firsts, unless such individuals are part of the ministers' family up to the fourth degree. According to statutory law, the private legal affairs of individuals shall be under the exclusive jurisdiction of governmental authorities. Such affairs legal validity shall be established by statutory law as well. In dealing with religious affairs, the Federal, state and municipal authorities shall execute any other powers vested in them by statutory law.<br />