Carlos Abascal

Carlos María Abascal Carranza (Ciudad de Mexico June 14, 1949 – Ciudad de Mexico December 2, 2008), known as Carlos Abascal, was a Mexican lawyer, business leader, and politician. He was the Secretary of the Interior in the cabinet of Vicente Fox. He is the son of the writer Salvador Abascal, famous for his synarchist ideas.

Early life and education
Abascal studied law at Escuela Libre de Derecho in Mexico City, graduating in 1973 with a thesis entitled "Relations between Spiritual Power and Temporal Power", in which he stated, that "democracy is a farce that has been used by Freemasons in Mexico...to make a confused and disoriented majority believe that its will is being done". He later pursued business management studies at the IPADE.

Biography and Career
Abascal began his career as a messenger for Afianzadora Insurgentes and became a trainee in the legal area. He later became Director and CEO. He worked for Afianzadora Insurgentes for thirty years before retiring in August 2000.

Abascal has occupied different positions in private and social organizations. He has been president of the Fundación para el Desarrollo Sostenible en México (FUNDES), president of Vertebra, president of the Movimiento Social y de Administración de Valores (AVAL), vice president of the Instituto Mexicano de Doctrina Social Cristiana (IMDOSOC), and national president of the Confederación Patronal de la República Mexicana (COPARMEX). As president, he promoted the New Labor Culture and facilitated dialogue between the employer and worker sectors.

Abascal served in the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District from 1994 to 1997. He also participated in the transition team of President Vicente Fox. He became one of the key cabinet members in Fox's administration. He served as the head of the Ministry of Labor and later the Ministry of the Interior. His primary challenge in the latter role was maintaining the country's governability during the 2006 electoral process. In 2000 Fox appointed Abascal as Secretary of Labor. In 2005, following Santiago Creel's resignation, Abascal was appointed Secretary of the Interior.

He was opposed to some birth control methods such as abortion and the contraceptive pill. He spoke out against "liberal" literature, including the novel Aura by Carlos Fuentes, which Abascal alleged was inappropriate for his 13-year-old daughter and requested that her private school reconsider including in its curriculum.

In the later years of his life, he was involved with the National Executive Committee of the National Action Party (PAN) and led the Rafael Preciado Hernández Foundation. Days before his death, he received an Honorary Doctorate from Universidad Anáhuac, marking his final public appearance.

Death
Abascal died of esophageal cancer on the morning of December 2, 2008.

Canonization
In 2009, various Catholic organizations asked the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico to begin the process for the canonization of Abascal given his virtues and his ability to participate in politics without renouncing his Catholic values.