Spain's other mass movement: the Catholic Church

 
There is a movement that can summon tens and even hundreds of thousands of its followers onto the streets of Spanish cities, and I am not talking about the 15-M protestors camping in squares and blockading parliaments. The Catholic Church has mobilized multitudes in recent years; against abortion reform, the legalization of gay marriage, and now it is again frowning with disapproval at government proposals to clarify the rights of terminal patients, even though the draft reform could by no means be called a euthanasia bill.   

"When we say that the legalization, directly or indirectly, of euthanasia is intolerable, we are not questioning the democratic organization of public life, nor are we trying to impose a private, moral conception on society as a whole," the head of the Spanish synod, Bishop Juan Antonio Martínez Camino, said this week. But he added that laws are "not fair merely because they are supported by majorities," while calling on the faithful to disobey any law which infringed on the "right to life."    

15-M wants to reform and purify the political system, creating a more transparent reflection of the popular will. The bishops want to put a straitjacket on legislators, arguing that a moral  force - that of their professed faith - stands above the will of society in general.

The bishops went even further in their attack on the so-called "dignified death" bill, saying that "such laws call into question the legitimacy of the governments which draft and approve them."  

15-M says a popular majority must be sovereign; the protestors express their disgust at self-serving politicians ignoring the needs of those they represent once in power. The Church argues that politicians cannot simply form parliamentary majorities and merrily dispatch reforms without taking into account "the right to freedom of conscience," which, it argues, "cannot be reduced to mere tolerance of religious practice." Legislation must be based on liturgy. How to avoid being reminded of the other religious fanaticism whose malign influence has so scarred the first decade of the 21st century?        

15-M says the powers comprising the state must be separated. The Church does well to keep its counsel on matters of institutional relations. The movement's chief bone of contention is the malign influence of party politics on the judiciary, whose independence is seriously compromised and constantly questioned, and the tendency of administrations (local and national) to stuff public and semi-statal bodies such as savings bank boards with cronies. But could this aim to re-found the state also be trained on the cozy relationship between government and the Catholic Church?   

In a supposedly non-confessional state, the Catholic Church gets six billion euros in state funds a year, half of which go to maintaining state-subsidized private religious schools. But public money also pays the salaries of bishops and priests, as well as Catholic teachers who work in public schools, military, hospital and prison chaplains, and even goes toward the restoration or maintenance of the enormous patrimony of the Spanish Catholic Church, the second-biggest owner of real estate after the government. All this despite the principle, included in the 1979 agreements between Madrid and the Holy See, that the Church was to advance towards self-financing.

Last November, three days after Pope Benedict XVI's most recent visit to Spain, Zapatero's Socialist government shelved its promise to strengthen the lay character of the Spanish state with a new Religious Freedom Law, thus preserving the special status enjoyed by the Catholic Church above any other faith. Mass power prevails. Or does it? Despite the fact that 70 percent of Spaniards polled recently by Metroscopia described themselves as Catholics, the bishops are the lowest valued of any institutional power in the country - below banks, multinationals and even the political parties. For now, 15-M is at least winning the popularity contest.       

Photograph by Uly Martín.

 

Comments

[Publicado por: five fingers]

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[Publicado por: christian louboutin]

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[Publicado por: Jon Davis]

The Spanish Catholic Church leadership is ever bit as backward as the American extreme right-wing Protestant televangelists like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, and both Spanish Catholics and American fundamentalists Protestants share radical Islam's "vision" of replacing democracy with an Iranian-style theocracy.

[Publicado por: Jon Davis]

The Spanish Catholic Church leadership is ever bit as backward as the American extreme right-wing Protestant televangelists like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, and both Spanish Catholics and American fundamentalists Protestants share radical Islam's "vision" of replacing democracy with an Iranian-style theocracy.

[Publicado por: alejandra]

Catholid Church == paedophilia + pederasts + lies + liars + slaughters + manipulation + brain-washing + money + power + money + power + ........
In God's Name ....!

[Publicado por: Troy]

I'm very surprised at those who claim (comment) that the Catholic Church has no influence in today's Spain. Observations like this seem to me to border on a delusional disorder.

Like it or not, there are still millions of people who need the Church to guide them through their daily lives, from what they can eat to who they have have sex with.

The 'indignant' Catholics that have bothered to comment are proof positive of the existence of those who still believe that women were created from the rib of man, who believe a man walked on water and was later killed for the sins of all MANkind and was later brought back to life. Like it or not, there are millions of them out there, from your neighbour to the the politician in Valencia who planted his cross on his desk for all to see (just imagine a muslim politician in Ceuta pulling out their prayer rug in parliament!)

However the other claim that there is some sort of democratic choice regarding the little box ticked every tax season is also boderline delusional. Yes, the faithful of the little state in Rome can decide to give 0.7% (let's remember it was the Socialist government that raised it to that) to pay for the lawyers of pedophiles (ah yes, they will claim that the 'poor' they so care for are also included in that, but alas that doesn't wash their hands of paying to defend pedophiles). How is this 'democratic' for Jews? Muslims? Atheists? Believers in Odin? Osiris? Baal? Where is their 0.7%? Ah yes, they can choose that other box that is dedicated to NGOs...but a quick look at those NGOs show that many of them are organizations related to the Catholic Church, like Carritas. Uuups, those who don't 'believe' in the infallibility of Mr. Ratzinger are out of luck it seems, terribly democratic isn't it?

What needs to happen is to stop worrying about the sacred cows and to take these people to task for what they say. Gone are the days when 'it's my faith' was some sort of valid arguement to hide behind. What I believe the writer is trying to establish is that the Catholic Church is just another movement, like any other, and is open to analysis and criticism. Simply because it is a faith based organization, can they not be taken to task for calling into credibility the government for passing laws that aren't in accordance with a foreign power (yes, the Vatican IS after all a foreign power) and a cobbled together book written 2000 years ago?
It's time to call them on their words, it's time to question. In an EU country where sexual discrimination is illegal, why is it that the Church is exempt from hiring women as priests? To add insult to injury, the democratically elected government pays the salaries making them complicit in the crime. When believers talk about the 'values' they don't like being taught in public schools and therefore demand a segregated school system. What values are they against that are fostered in the public system? Those of tolerance?integration?respect? How can an institution that claims that those who don't believe in their book will burn in lakes of fire for eternity claim to be tolerant? In fact, how can this be tolerated at all with public money?

One thing is the necessary freedom for those who want to believe such things, but it is a completely different matter that they should be given such a priviledged position. Saying that they are just another movement, open to analysis is indeed the point and it is time to analyse just what they are saying.

[Publicado por: El de abajo abajo]

@Tapia: that would be no joke, just a pun.

[Publicado por: jubilado en activo]

Mr James Badcock :
Are you a "Legionario" , or member of the "Opus-Dei" , or a bishop , something like that ? - Are you payed by "Don Rouco Varela¨? --
Please read this :
http://blogs.elpais.com/metroscopia/2011/06/los-obispos-al-fondo.html
After that , please re-write your article -- You will be more happy --

[Publicado por: Repetir es lo que se lleva ahora , asi que ...... 22 / X]

Please : read this :
http://blogs.elpais.com/metroscopia/2011/06/los-obispos-al-fondo.html
publised on: 28 / jun / 2011
-----Los obispos constituyen la institución que menosconfianza (3.0) inspira a nuestra ciudadanía, menos incluso que los Bancos (3.6), las multinacionales (3.4) o los partidos políticos (3.2) —en una escala evaluativa de 0 a 10—, según la última oleada del Barómetro Continuo de Confianza Institucional de Metroscopia, que ordena a más de cincuenta instituciones y grupos sociales en función del grado d-----e confianza que infunden

[Publicado por: Jorge]

I'm absolutely surprised with your article, it is suposed to be Spain? If there's an irrelevant institution in nowadays Spain that's the Catholic Church. There are clichés and there's journalism, they shouldn't get mixed up.

[Publicado por: Pablo Fernandez]

Is the writer joking? The 6 billion eur come from people who voluntarily chooose to pay 0.7% of their taxes to the Cathlic Church. They have the option of dedicating that money to other causes. It may be much or few, but it democratically reflect the wishes of the people. Furthermore the "Patrimony of the Church" is a keystone of tourism, history and culture in Spain. anyone can enter in a cathedral or admire the Spanish romanic art without paying a dime. Hence it is obvious that Spain needs to support the Church in maintaining that patrimony, who benefits all of us.

Aside from that comparing 15M and the support to the church is comparing peers with apples. I really do not get the point of the article.

[Publicado por: Maialen]

I think that to be faithful, you should explain to your readers that the 6 million € mentioned in your article come from the taxes of thousand of Spaniards who CHOOSE (as I do) to contribute to Spanish Church with their taxes. Since 2008 Spaniards can choose to which institution / goal want to “give” 0.7% of the taxes that are collected by the State. They can choose between giving that money to NGO’s or the Catholic Church.

[Publicado por: Skippy]

Yet the Valencian Country has been governed by people who belong to the sect-within-the-BIG-SECT, the Opus Dei. Some of us have known these suit-wearing smiling crucifix-kissing still-to-come-out-of-the-closet puppets since childhood, we know them from the school playgrounds, the haven't changed much. They remain deceitful, false, hypocritical. On the whole, the Catholic Church - the Whore of Babylon, as Vallejo has reminded us - has far less weight now in Spain than it used to have under Tío Paco, but they'rer still around.

[Publicado por: manuela]

Obviously Mr James Badcock , is not talking about the real Spain where I live . The Catholic Churc is a real sect , yes ! , a sect : expert in the art of manipulation and brain-washing . And believe me , its followers are not "hundred of thousands" : not in the present time ....!

[Publicado por: Tapia]

There is an immense difference between a spontaneous movement of disapproval of the current political system with the general idea and goal of betterment of all society (15-M) and a special interests organization with centuries of experience in the use and manipulation of power (and the "faithful") for its own private (corporate) benefit (Catholic Curch).
One is a movement, the other one is not.
Badcock's attempt at drawing similarities between concepts so obviously different seems completely misguided. Unless, of course, it's intended as a joke (e.g., mass vs. Mass).