Father Alberto Medel reported that staff at Mexico’s Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE, by its Spanish acronym) demanded he remove his clerical attire for the photo to renew his passport, a requirement he described as discriminatory and a violation of his right to religious freedom.
The incident took place on Nov. 4 at the passport office in the Coyoacán borough of Mexico City, according to an account the priest shared on X.
In response to the complaint, Roberto Velasco Álvarez, who heads the SRE, said on X that he had given instructions “for the photograph to be retaken with him wearing his ecclesiastical attire, and for the passport to be issued.”
What happened?
According to Medel, the coordinator of the theological committee for the college of exorcists of the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico, an SRE employee told him that he “could not have the photograph taken while wearing his ecclesiastical attire.”
The priest refused to remove his attire, arguing that he had the right to dress according “to my state of life, provided that my face remained perfectly visible.”
The employee consulted with a supervisor, and Medel was allowed to be photographed in his clerical attire.
However, while waiting for his new passport, the priest was told by another person, who “did not identify herself by name or position and displayed a hostile attitude from the start,” that the SRE would not process a passport application with a photograph showing him in clerical attire.
When Medel requested that she show him the law that prohibited his attire, the official “showed him a page from the secretariat’s internal regulations, which state that photographs containing religious symbols are not permitted.”
Medel said a police officer standing behind the official seemed to indicate “a clear attitude of intimidation.”
“We Catholic priests are second-class citizens whose freedoms and rights are restricted because of our choice of faith,” he stated, alleging that what occurred violated the rights stipulated in the Mexican Constitution concerning nondiscrimination and religious freedom.
“Today, I was subjected to discrimination; my human rights were violated, and I was humiliated through clear expressions of anticlericalism and Christianophobia,” he said.
Passport regulations and the Supreme Court precedent
Article 14 of Mexico’s “Regulations for Passports and Identity and Travel Documents” stipulates that for the passport application process, “the photograph must be taken facing forward, in color, with a white background; the head must be uncovered, and there must be no garments or objects that partially or completely cover the face, including eyeglasses.”
The article does not establish a general prohibition against the use of religious attire or symbols in photographs for a Mexican passport.
On Dec. 11, 2025, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation resolved a dispute concerning Muslim women who had been required to remove their hijabs in order to obtain a passport.
In that case, the court determined that the women could wear the hijabs; regulations must be interpreted in a manner consistent with freedom of religion, ideology, and conscience; and individuals may wear “religious garments, attire, or symbols” that do not hinder their identification.
Furthermore, the court cautioned against “the absolute sacrifice of religious freedom.”
‘I am not the only person who has suffered this’
In a statement to EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Medel confirmed that following Velasco’s statement, he received an email and a phone call from SRE staff in order to facilitate the renewal of his passport.
However, he has been unable to return to the government office due to his pastoral commitments including the celebration of the 500th anniversary of his parish, Santa María de la Visitación, in the Indigenous town of Santa María Tepepan. This event is scheduled for this Saturday, Nov. 7, and will be attended by the apostolic nuncio to Mexico, Archbishop Joseph Spiteri.
Medel said he plans to travel to Rome on Monday, Nov. 9, which is why he needed his passport.
He said he hopes to be able to complete the process but also believes it is necessary for the SRE to take measures to prevent other religious from facing similar situations.
“I don’t need an apology,” he said, expressing his hope that this case will lead to “firmer steps” being taken to ensure that nothing like this happens again.
He said other priests and religious sisters told him they have had similar experiences.
Medel clarified that clerical attire “is not a uniform; it is my way of life.” He noted that because he dresses as a priest, he’s been insulted but has also experienced “a great deal of good: People I encounter ask for a blessing, and I have heard confessions in airports, on airplanes, on buses, and out on the street.”
He said he is requesting from the authorities, “in writing, a commitment and an instruction to all offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that ensures this does not happen again to any priest or religious.”
After EWTN News Español contacted the General Directorate for Social Communication of the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, the office forwarded Velasco’s public statement.
This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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