The Pope attacks Spanish socialists

The Telegraph (U.K.) ^ | January 25, 2005 | Isambard Wilkinson

[Stoat]

The Pope attacks Spanish socialists

By Isambard Wilkinson in Madrid
(Filed: 25/01/2005)

The Pope launched a scathing attack on the socialist government of Spain yesterday, accusing it of fomenting a form of secularism "that restricts religious freedom".

The outburst came when he met the archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Antonio Rouco Varela, and a group of Spanish bishops who were visiting the Vatican following a row over the use of condoms in tackling the Aids epidemic.

The Pope said the politics of the Spanish prime minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, were "promoting disdain towards religion".

The Pope said: "This ideology will lead to the restriction of religious freedoms and promote a disrespect and even ignorance of religion.

"This is not one of the most noble Spanish traditions.

"The imprint that the Catholic faith has left on Spain is too deep that it can cede to the temptation to silence it."

The Spanish Church has been at loggerheads with the socialist government since it came to power last March and introduced a host of reforms opposed by the bishops.

The Pope criticised initiatives of Mr Zapatero, such as his plans to make religious education in state schools voluntary by allowing students to replace religion with a civics course.

Other new laws will allow marriage between homosexuals, make divorce and abortion easier and permit stem cell research.

Last week the spokesman for Spain's Conference of Catholic Bishops, Juan Antonio Martinez Camino, earned a rebuff from the Vatican by saying that condoms could be used as part of the global effort to prevent the spread of Aids.

Spanish Church officials and the Vatican swiftly set the record straight, saying the Roman Catholic Church remained opposed to the use of condoms.

Cardinal Varela described the Spanish capital as a "hotbed of sin'' during a radio interview on Sunday.

 

21 January 2005: Church retracts consent for condoms

20 January 2005: Spanish bishops defy Vatican over anti-Aids condoms

 

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

In most cases, that is true.

Even in Poland, there is an increasing tide of secularism sweeping the nation, now that the the Church-which, along with Solidarity, was the galvanizing force against the Soviet Union-finds itself having to adapt to a newer, more complex, post-communist world.

[RobbyS]

Zapatero is what used to be called a freemason of the Latin Rite. Famous for hatred of the Church.

[livius]

Most of Spain's "Republicans" were Masons, even back in the 19th century. It's rare to see a modern Mason with such virulent hatred of the Church, or at any rate, so openly expressed. Zapatero stuns even his friends sometimes.

[RobbyS]

Hopefull the public will see through his vicious man and show him the door at the next election.

[wimpycat]

He believed that Spain could only function effectivly as a dictatorship due to the argumentive nature of the Spanish people.

ROFL! I can state from personal experience that your teacher was right about their 'argumentative nature', but not right about dictatorship. My mother-in-law is very anti-socialist, conservative and Catholic (which is what you end up as when you're the 'rebel' in a Spanish atheist/socialist family) and she and all her children are very argumentative.

[MegaSilver]

I'll go to my grave without ever having put on a prophylactic.

I intend to do the same.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

:*)

That was my Castilian Smiley...not my Galician Smiley.

-good Thames, G.J.P.(Jr.)

[Barnacle]

Religion is to Europe and specifically Spain as "family" prayer before dinner is to Americas. It's something that was important years ago but since life is easy, it's no longer important and no one seems to have the time to take part in it.

You've just got to hang around with the right people to see that prayer before dinner is an absolute.