The Spanish government is taking a bishop to the Prosecutor's Office for linking disability to "the inheritance of sin."
Reig Pla now says he had no intention of offending the group.
BarcelonaThe Ministry of Social Rights has reported to the Prosecutor's Office the remarks of the Bishop Emeritus of Alcalá de Henares, Antonio Reig Pla, who stated in a homily that disability is "an inheritance of sin and the disorder of nature." The Spanish government indicates that he may have committed a crime by promoting or inciting discrimination, thus contradicting the law on equal treatment.
In a statement, the General Directorate for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, part of the ministry, has sent a letter to the Prosecutor's Office requesting that "the relevant investigation be opened into public discourse that is unacceptable in a democracy" because it understands that the bishop emeritus has incurred the penalty of Bishop Emeritus, punishable by between six months and two years in prison.
Likewise, the Office for Disability Assistance has also opened an information file in which it will request explanations from the Episcopal Conference regarding Reig Pla's words during a homily on May 11 in Salamanca. In this regard, the department headed by Pablo Bustinduy asked the Episcopal Conference to provide an explanation regarding the bishop's disqualifications and what measures it plans to implement.
During the mass, Reig Pla stated: "Children who are born with physical, intellectual, or mental disabilities are already an inheritance of sin... But they have been called by God and, like us, they also have the entire foundation of our existence in God." Following the uproar, the bishop emeritus has maintained that he had "no intention" of offending the community of people with disabilities. "If anyone has felt offended by the words of this homily, Bishop Reig assures that he has not responded to its intention or its content," says a statement published this Tuesday by the diocese of Alcalá de Henares, reports Europa Press.
A controversial bishop
This is not the first controversy involving Reig Pla, retired in 2022 upon turning 75. He had already made statements against homosexuality and euthanasia. For homosexuals, he recommended "appropriate therapy" and "chastity," even claiming to have received correspondence against "the so-called gay lifestyle." His words caused a stir, despite the fact that the then Bishop of Solsona, Xavier Novell, the youngest in the state,defended Reig Pla's homilybecause he considered that there was no "persecution of anyone."
Minister Bustinduy recalled on the social network Bluesky Article 49 of the Constitution, which states: "Public authorities shall promote policies that guarantee full personal autonomy and social inclusion of persons with disabilities, in universally accessible environments [...], and shall encourage the participation of their organizations."
