The influence of El Yunque, Opus Dei, and anti-Francisco Robert Sarah on Vox

BarcelonaWith the death of Pope Francis Condolences emerged, also from the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal. very concise manner, joined "the prayers of millions of Catholics for the soul of Francis"; nothing to do with gratitude to Benedict XVI when he died, praising his call to "be creative minorities that leaven society with good" and his "love for Spain." Vox fought Francis's views on immigration and poverty, with which the Pope warned world leaders. For this reason, Abascal went so far as to label him "Citizen Bergoglio" and has fraternized with critics such as the ultraconservative Cardinal Robert Sarah, an enemy of Francis. In fact, the party has officials linked to the secret ultra-Catholic organization El Yunque, with paramilitary beginnings, and the ultra-conservative Opus Dei has quite a few officials. What Catholic network is influencing Vox?

The links with ultraconservatism are explained by experts such as Santiago Mata, author of books such as Vox and the Anvil (Amanecer, 2021), and critics who have abandoned the party lament them, while Vox downplays it: "The relationship is more direct with Abascal himself, who has grown up [politically] in this environment. But that does not mean he is a puppet," Mata assures in conversation with ARA. El Yunque intends to establish with its influence "the reign of Christ", it is at the antipodes of the openness of Pope Francis and the Church itself issued a report and a warning to the faithful not to participate in secret societies like this one.

Mata points out that "Abascal is not a member of El Yunque, but the problem is more serious, one of mentality", since he believes that the ultra leader has copied the model "turning the party into a secret society that is incompatible with democracy" because "he has imbibed this philosophy" from the beginning "so that he could be the president of the party, when there were a thousand members and Alejo Vidal-Quadras had left". And that imbues him with secrecy, makes him act with a "hard core" of trust outside the formation, where the Ariza clan is currently found - Julio and Gabi, totems of communication - and Kiko Méndez Monasterio, commanded by Abascal.

From Opus Dei to the leaders

On the other hand, sources critical of Vox report that the party "has a religious component" and a significant influence of Opus Dei, especially in Catalonia. They also denounce the influence of Julio Ariza, who is linked to ultraconservatism. Meanwhile, Vox sources assert that El Yunque "has no influence" in the party, despite the fact that Barcelona councilor Liberto Senderos has been accused of being a member of the sect and that he "has never denied it." Regarding Opus Dei, despite the presence of key members such as the secretary general, Ignacio Garriga; the leader in Brussels, Jorge Buxadé; and the spokesperson in Parliament, Joan Garriga, the party emphasizes that the prelature—reduced by Pope Francis—"does not act corporately; there are people of all tendencies, and it is individual" in its instructions to its members. For his part, Mata points out that the presence of Opus Dei is not very relevant because it does not act as a blog and adds that the ultraconservative impulse is also seen in the party's attacks on Cardinal José Cobo for the redefinition of the Valley of the Fallen.

At the same time, the most admired in Vox is Cardinal Sarah, an enemy of Pope Francis. Especially for his anti-immigration stance: "He has an opinion more similar to ours because he has suffered greatly from Islamism," say party sources. Although they met and many of them would like him as pope, they report that the leadership issued the "instruction" not to make any comments against Francis after his death.unlike Aliança Catalana– nor favoring any cardinal to avoid an electoral dynamic. In any case, they admit that Francis's criticisms on immigration caused unrest.

The entourage of El Yunque

The far-right campaign group Hazte Oír, for example, is an organization linked to El Yunque, as Mata attests. "They supported [Vox], they took him to conferences, and even his press conferences were broadcast on Hazte Oír streaming." In his opinion, El Yunque "has done favors" for Abascal; he doesn't believe he's being "manipulated," but he does "thank them." The sect seeks to "influence" him in favor of its far-right agenda and, in fact, continues to support him, despite some back-and-forth. to toughen up their speech even more.

Mata reveals even more links: former leaders Iván Espinosa de los Monteros and Rocío Monasterio "had a close relationship with El Yunque." Santi Ribas, Monasterio's former campaign manager in Madrid, is from El Yunque, according to the expert. But these links reach media outlets close to Vox: the owner of El Toro TV himself—heir to Intereconomía—Julio Ariza, recalled in an interview on the channel He learned that "people who worked at that Intereconomía belonged to El Yunque" and that "some of them recognized him, like Marcial Cuquerella or Luis Losada." These are two names of Vox propagandists linked to the far-right television channel 7NN, which went bankrupt two years ago and where the former was executive director and the latter as presenter. Ariza denied any connection with the sect and said he had warned employees not to use the channel for their own interests. He did have kind words for Opus Dei, although he was only associated with it from the age of 14 to 18: "It is the institution that best represents the doctrine and formation of the Catholic Church," he said.