For the archbishop, “neither relativism, nor legal positivism, nor the autonomy that praises the will to power, without any ethical reference, can help us.” And, deep down, he said, “there is an intense spiritual crisis, because many understandings of nationalism of all kinds are also experienced as a kind of new religion.”
The prelate also criticized that “in the political science of the last 40 years, the category of the common good has been replaced by the category of ‘interest.’ The public interest and interest is a banking term. And that’s how things are going wrong for us in the organization of our coexistence.”
Unity of Spain in danger
In his last weekly letter, the bishop of Córdoba, Demetrio Fernández, stressed that “the unity of Spain is in danger” while recalling that the Spanish bishops have expressed themselves on various occasions about the “moral value of the unity of Spain, which we all have to safeguard and which can be broken by self-interest of one kind or another.”
Fernández asked for prayers for Spain, “which is a historical project of centuries and centuries. Why break it up now? And if historical updates are to be made, they should be done within the framework of the Constitution, which all Spaniards have approved.”
“Let’s not fuel division or confrontation and let’s not get carried away by personal or collective self-interest. We cannot risk the peace of an entire nation for special interests,” he added.
Rosaries for Spain
In recent days, there have been calls for the public recitation of the rosary in the streets of Spain due to the escalation of social and political tension.
The Rosaries for Spain initiative reported that public prayers were organized last Sunday in at least 20 locations in Spain.
The Catalan crisis began with an Oct. 1, 2017, independence referendum, which had been declared unconstitutional and illegal by Spain’s constitutional court. Ignoring the court ruling, Catalonia’s separatist government proceeded with the referendum, setting the stage for sometimes-violent clashes with voters as the Civil Guard and National Police attempted to stop the vote.
According to the Catalan government, 90% of those who voted — 43% of potential voters — supported independence from Spain.
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The Catalan regional parliament then declared the community’s independence Oct. 27, 2017.
In 2020, Spain’s Supreme Court found the ringleaders of the independence movement guilty of sedition and sentenced them to lengthy prison terms, which is why the deal to grant them amnesty is drawing strong opposition.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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