"And if we defined the Church as a band of sexual aggressors?": Moncloa responds to the head of the Spanish bishops

BarcelonaClash between the Spanish Church's leadership and the State government amid strong accusations. It all began with a controversial intervention this Thursday by the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Luis Argüello, at a summer course organized by the Pau VI Foundation, when he strongly criticized the state executive led by Pedro Sánchez. Argüello, who is also the archbishop of Valladolid, called for democratic regeneration and warned that "when a state forgets ethics, it becomes a gang of thieves." "And I refer to the evidence," he concluded, alluding to current Spanish politics. This angered the Spanish government, which late at night sent a harsh letter to Argüello: "And what if we defined the Church as a gang of sexual offenders?" he suggested in the letter signed by the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, and reported by Efe.

The minister answers himself this question to conclude that, if he were to voice such an accusation, it "would obviously be false and profoundly unjust." Thus, Bolaños reacted with "surprise" and finds Argüello's statements "offensive" from a personal and institutional point of view. This is why he asks him to be "more respectful" in his public statements and for relations with the Spanish government to be "marked by moderation, respect, and justice, rather than exaggeration and partisanship in favor of the right and the far-right."

On the other hand, Bolaños quotes Pope Leo XIV during his recent visit to Spain: "Those who exercise public responsibility have a special obligation to guard their words to disarm language," the pontiff stated. These are words the minister now recalls so they can "inspire" Argüello "as president of the Episcopal Conference to redirect his public statements and make them more respectful of society as a whole and its public representatives."

When asked by ARA about Argüello's intervention, the archbishop of Tarragona, Joan Planellas, who heads the Catalan bishops, made it clear that "his words speak for themselves" and referred to the Pope's speeches in Congress and the Canary Islands to express his point of view, without going into detail. Be that as it may, Argüello's intervention has generated concern among several Catalan bishops due to his clear political stance.

More controversies

Argüello, who precisely starred in a public reconciliation with Vox in mid-May, saying that "there are no irreconcilable positions" and greeting important leaders of the party, went further on Thursday in his controversial statements. Specifically, he also commented that "immigrants have duties when it comes to their integration because, if not, they quickly learn the path of rights", and criticized the fact that liberal democracies have "become welfare democracies" in which "a little payment" is given because they are interested in "passive citizens bought by subsidies". In his opinion, the State should not "become a secular Caritas that gives alms".

In parallel, he railed against LGBTI Pride and against the laws approved in recent years on sex and gender, giving "autonomy to decide one's own gender". And he added that pride is "the sin of Satan".