Monday, November 08, 2010

Pope Longs For Franco On Visit To Spain

On Saturday, Pope Benedict lamented the end of fascist rule in Spain that kept the Catholic Church’s religious beliefs codified, and the Catholic Church running much of the nation as a lapdog for Franco. 

Benedict was concerned about the anti-clerical nature of Spain of late and noted that the church believes that some 4,184 clergy were killed by the Republicans of Spain which did not like the fact that the Church was helping to get and keep General Francisco Franco in power. 

The Catholic Church had special relationships with several fascist dictators including Benito Mussolini in Italy.

Benedict prayed at Santiago de Compostela, which is suppose to hold the tomb of St. James the Apostle.

Spain has changed greatly, and under Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez, same-sex marriage, fast-track divorce and abortions have become legal. 

Benedict stated “In Spain, a strong, aggressive lay mentality, an anticlericalism and secularization has been born as we experienced in the 1930’s. For the future of the faith, it is this meeting — not a confrontation but a meeting — between faith and lay mentality that has a central point in Spanish culture.”

Benedict continued to try and revive the notion of a non-secular Catholic Europe in the same vein as it was before the Reformation. 

He stated in one speech “A Spain and Europe concerned not only with people’s material needs but also with their moral and social, spiritual and religious needs, since all these are genuine requirements of our common humanity.”

Not everyone was thrilled to see the Pope in Spain. Riot police fought with anti-papal protesters in Santiago, and LGBT groups lined the motorcade route on Saturday where they kissed at the popemobile drove past. 

A similar, but larger, ‘kiss-in’ will happen in Barcelona where many lesbians and gays plan to protest the Pope’s stances against homosexuality. 

In fact, Benedict reiterated his belief that marriage was between a man and a woman and not two people of the same sex. 

Of course, implicit in this is that marriage is also where men are held to be superior to women.

The royal family has been taking care of protocol with the Pope’s visit. 

Crown Prince Felipe greeted Benedict at Santiago’s airport. 

Prime Minister Zapatero will meet with Benedict only as he is leaving the country.

SIC: LEZGET/INT'L