The Spanish Episcopal Conference says that historical memory laws are an "instrument of ideological polarization"

BarcelonaThe president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), Luis Argüello, asserted on Tuesday that the laws of historical and democratic memory have become an "instrument of ideological polarization serving political interests rather than a path to deepening reconciliation." Thus, just days before the 50th anniversary of Franco's death, Argüello advocated that the next three years—until the fiftieth anniversary of the Spanish Constitution in 2028—serve as a period of "purification of memory," which, he said, he considers "contaminated by ideological biases." Regarding Friday's event commemorating the 50th anniversary of Franco's death, Vox announced on Tuesday that it will not participate and will once again boycott King Felipe VI. "We are not going to participate in the farce that the government has prepared, which is an ode to Sánchez's totalitarian regime," said Vox spokesperson in the lower house, Pepa Millán, who avoided commenting on the dictator.

Amid the ongoing conflict between the Spanish government and Ayuso over abortion, the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) also condemned abortions. Argüello labeled abortion "inhumane" and lamented that the "tragedy" of 73 million abortions performed annually worldwide, and 100,000 in Spain, "has become normalized." In his opening address to the CEE Plenary Assembly, the Archbishop of Valladolid denounced Western society for "completely sweeping" the issue of abortion "under the rug" and stated that we have reached a point "of extreme irrationality in bioethics" in the service of bioethics.

Abortion

"In the same hospital, one group of doctors might be determined to save a five-and-a-half-month-old fetus, while another group of doctors deliberately kills a baby of the same age in the next room," he asserted. Similarly, Argüello criticized the fact that, in his opinion, the legislation can punish the destruction of an eagle's egg with a fine of 15,000 euros and up to two years in prison, "but grants the right to kill a child with Down syndrome until the end of the pregnancy." Regarding the current controversy surrounding the lists of conscientious objectors, the Conference president stated that the debate is serving to avoid addressing the issue "in its entirety." "Nothing justifies ending the life of a human being in gestation, but true support for life requires addressing all circumstances," warned Argüello, who emphasized that the conditions under which some women become pregnant must be taken into account.

Separately, the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) also called for respect for the presumption of innocence in the face of allegations of sexual abuse within the Church. He made this request without explicitly mentioning the case of the Bishop of Cádiz and Ceuta, Rafael Zornoza, whom the Vatican is investigating for the alleged sexual abuse of a minor when he was a priest in Getafe in the 1990s: "What we have experienced in recent weeks with the emergence of these allegations against us, regarding the presumption of innocence, is something we want to respect, and we want it to be respected for all citizens, including members of the Church, as well as the freedom to report to civil authorities or to the Church."