Mexico: A Secular Republic?

I was at Mexico City last week to present at CIDE law school - a research law school at Mexico - on medical confidentiality, a topic I´ve been working on in the last 2 years. In my days there, a historical constitutional debate was taking place. Section 40 of the federal constitution currently states that Mexico is a representative, democratic, and federal republic (“República representativa, democrática, federal") Last week, the House of Representatives approved - almost by unanimity - the addition of the word "secular." Thus, if the Senate were to approve the motion, Mexico would become a representative, democratic, federal, and secular republic. The addition of one word may seem insignificant; however, it may be a very important change for constitutional adjudication and interpretation in Mexico.