A Mexican bishop has started a legal action against a company which has opened a casino in front of a church.
Mgr Pedro Pablo Elizondo Cardenas, Bishop of Cancún-Chetumal, in
Quintana Roo, has started a legal battle against Playboy Casino in
Cancun.
The Church's case rest on the fact that the casino is located
less than 200 metres from a place of worship and this is a violation of
the law.
"The casino is within a prohibited area because it is near a school
or a church: we appeal to the text of law, " explained the Bishop.
The
casino was opened in 2010, but was closed due to lack of safety
measures.
It was reopened in November 2012, and is opposite the Church
of the Risen Christ.
The District Court said it was "not competent" to deal with the case
and sent everything to the Federal District Court.
According to press
reports, the defense states that "it is the Church that should not be
there."
In Cancun, there are other casinos because the area is a tourist resort, but none as close to a church as this one.
In Mexico, the Catholic Church has always condemned the connection
between gambling and organised crime, drug trafficking, violence, abuse
of power and corruption, which are at the expense of the poor and
suffering.
In many cases violence has been linked to casinos.
In 2011 a
massacre took place in a casino in the city of Monterrey in Nuevo Leon,
which caused more than 50 deaths.