Spanish bishops extend a hand to Vox: "There are no irreconcilable positions"

MadridThe relationship between the Spanish Church and the far-right is not going through a good moment, despite sharing ultraconservative values on issues such as abortion or the concept of family. It has recently been evidenced by the clash of León XIV with Donald Trump over the war in Iran or by the discrepancy between Santiago Abascal's party and the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) on immigration. While Vox rejects the regularization promoted by the Spanish government and advocates for "national priority," the Spanish bishops defend it, and in fact, the Pope will focus part of his visit to the State on highlighting the reception of immigrants with a stop in the Canary Islands. However, at an informative breakfast this Tuesday, featuring the president of the CEE, Luis Argüello, a thawing of relations with Vox has been glimpsed. With leaders Ignacio Garriga and Pepa Millán seated at the main table, Argüello has shown a predisposition from the podium to meet with Abascal.

"From irreconcilable positions, in principle, there are none with anyone," he stated. According to the president of the Spanish bishops, "it is always necessary to listen to each other and dialogue," although "not all positions are the same." In this regard, Argüello has criticized the concept of "national priority" wielded by both Vox in Spain and Trump in the United States. "The sacred dignity of every life is what should mobilize us," replied the leader of the Spanish Church, who has defended that "it is not legitimate to cheat for the bread of our children." Despite this distance on this matter, Argüello has insisted that he intends to "listen to everyone" and "see each person's reasons." "I have had meetings, mostly informal, with people from all parliamentary groups," he argued.

At the breakfast, there were also representatives from the PP, the PSOE, and Más Madrid. Before a diverse audience, Argüello presented other theses with which he might find a path to reconciliation with the ultra-Catholic currents of the extreme right. According to the president of the Spanish bishops, young people, and "especially young [women]," suffer the consequences "of a deranged sexuality proposal" because they have "become detached from love and the transmission of life." "In itself, it carries a germ of aggressiveness," he stated, and also warned that "the society of divorces causes a lot of harm to children and adolescents."

A visit with "the possibility of manipulation"

The visit of Leo XIV to Spain, from June 6 to 12, has been the focus of much of Argüello's speech, who admitted that there are "possibilities of political manipulation" of the pontiff's words, although he asked to "look up" to avoid "polarizing". The president of the bishops has left the door open to a possible private meeting of the Pope with victims of sexual abuse and explained that, regarding the financing of the visit, both the Canary Islands and Catalonia have collaborated. He also praised the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, as a "good preacher".

The mayor of Madrid, where Leo XIV will make his first stop, is the one who introduced him at the informative breakfast, with messages that were more religious than political. "Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life," Almeida proclaimed. The Madrid regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, also hovered over the room. Although she did not attend the event and Argüello did not mention her, amid the controversy over her failed trip to Mexico, where she vindicated the conquistadors, the president of the CEE precisely criticized the "theology of decolonization" and praised "Spain's evangelizing presence in America".