Political clumsiness, ecclesiastical arrogance | Society
The lamentable spectacle that this Government is offering on account of the exhumation of Francisco Franco's body it is the ideal ammunition to feed the arrogance of the Catholic hierarchy. Months after promising the imminent transfer of the remains of Franco, we know that there was no previous work, that it was not negotiated with the family, that the legal consequences were not analyzed, that it was unknown the alternative of La Almudena and that the Church, which is the custodian of the tomb of the dictator in a basilica, was not probed either. It has been such a rush that now the Government plans to close by law the public spaces in which Franco is exalted in what constitutes a new occurrence, given that nothing seems to be foreseen, which has facilitated the contradictions. He promised to respect the will of the family and ignore the burial to go to ensure that the cathedral of La Almudena is not an option.
The bisoñez of the Government of Pedro Sánchez in this matter is worrisome, but has had the virtue of leaving the Catholic hierarchy naked; once again. The prelate's fondness for politics and angry protest when the left pretends to apply principles consistent with democracy and the non-denominational state that marks the Constitution of 1978 is well known. In the time of Zapatero, the bishops even went down to the street to protest against the law of gay marriage. These have profited their influence on public opinion and their alliances with the most conservative parties to maintain their advantages. For example, they take a good pinch of the collection of income tax (256 million euros last year) of all Spaniards, Catholics or not, no matter how much you try to disguise the formula devised. They also do not pay the IBI and can hire and fire teachers of religion on account, however, of the taxpayers.
The clumsiness of the Spanish Government is a sign of weakness that the prelates have taken advantage of in their favor. Was it really necessary for the Vatican to issue a statement to clarify the statements of Vice President Carmen Calvo about her meeting at the Holy See? The detail is a faithful portrait of the arrogance of the cassocks; one of his worst sins. The other is the manipulation of data and consciousness. The impudence of the inmatriculaciones is denied, the justice is raffled for the scandals of sexual abuse and it is boldly affirmed that transferring the dictator of a basilica to a cathedral does not belong to the Church. Curious.
The Vatican has tried to stay out of the controversy, but its attitude does nothing but put a democratic government in difficulties; something that the Vatican diplomacy has meticulously measured. The rifirrafe, finally, evokes with too much clarity the support that the Church lent to the dictator. It is a detail that can not go unnoticed.
