Solidarity with Believers in Spain - Threat to Catholics’ Religious Freedom

On the evening of Friday, December 8, 2023, during the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary—patroness of Spain—a manifesto was read before the Rosary prayer in over 50 Spanish Catholic churches. The manifesto expressed opposition to the drastically deteriorating situation for Catholics in the country, where recent measures have banned the public expression of faith in public spaces, specifically through the recitation of the Rosary. This is just one of many restrictions imposed in recent years on believers by the socialist government of Pedro Sánchez, which has been accused of violating the rule of law¹. At the beginning of November 2023, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) entered into a coalition agreement with Catalan and Basque separatists to maintain a governing majority. In exchange for the support of Catalan separatists, Pedro Sánchez agreed to grant amnesty to hundreds of individuals facing trials for their involvement in the separatist movement, sparking mass protests across Spain. Catholics also expressed their opposition to the government’s actions by organizing public Rosary prayers for the unity of Spain, which provoked the country’s authorities. On the evening of November 27, authorities ordered the suppression of a gathering of Catholics praying for their homeland on the steps of the Inmaculado Corazón de María church on Ferraz Street in Madrid, located a short distance from the PSOE headquarters. According to confirmed reports, approximately 500 people were present in the area that evening, marking the 26th day of protests by Spanish trade unionists and conservatives across the country. Arrests of peacefully gathered Catholics were made after they refused to disperse and cease their prayers. A video shared on social media showed a 60-year-old woman being escorted to a police van by several officers. Following this incident, the authorities imposed a 48-hour ban on public prayer and other gatherings near the party’s headquarters, covering three evenings from November 28 to 30, 2023. This had the opposite effect, as the number of protesters increased during those days, despite the threat of criminal sanctions.

The events outside the church sparked heated debate across the country. The Spanish Foundation of Christian Lawyers filed a formal complaint against the government delegate in Madrid, who was instructed by the government to shut down the gathering. The Foundation’s president, Polonia Castellanos, did not rule out taking legal action against the local police and announced that the group was prepared to represent anyone detained solely for the act of praying. “This government has launched a true persecution of Christians. They will not be able to intimidate us,” she added². The introduction of such severe restrictions on Catholics’ religious freedom, under the threat of criminal sanctions, represents an unprecedented attack on freedom of conscience and religion, which is a fundamental human right. Unfortunately, as demonstrated by the 2022/23 Annual Report published by the Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe), such actions by state authorities are not isolated incidents. Similar restrictions are being consistently implemented in other European countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Germany. These include the creation of so-called “buffer zones” around abortion clinics, where even silent prayers spoken by Christians on the street are criminalized. In the list of 15 countries with the most documented anti-Christian hate crimes compiled by OIDAC Europe from January to December 2022, Spain ranked fourth, following Germany, Italy, and France (Poland holds the fifth position)³.

The Religious Freedom Lab stands in full solidarity with Spanish Catholics, as praying the Rosary for the unity of the Spanish nation does not equate to mixing politics and religion. As stated in the manifesto: “Without the Cross, the Spanish nation cannot be understood. The state has usurped the authority once held by the Church. There are overt religious persecutions and others that are more subtle and dangerous. It interferes in areas where a ruler, unless a tyrant, should never venture. It imposes moral education on the youngest; it punishes with imprisonment for praying at abortion clinics; it bans prayer in public spaces under the threat of fines and arrests. The chimerical neutrality of the Leviathan means nothing more than the desecration and harassment of Christians. The line separating a just regime from a tyrannical one was crossed long ago. Religion is the greatest enemy of every tyrant. However, Spaniards will not yield to grossly unjust coercion. We will no longer fear their impositions and anti-Christian agenda. A Catholic has a duty to bear witness to their faith in all areas”⁴.

Religious Freedom Lab Team