A Spanish archbishop has criticized the country's government leaders for their "disproportionate and opportunistic" complaints about public statements by the Catholic hierarchy.Archbishop Fernando Sebastian, the retired head of the Pamplona archdiocese, said that the Socialist leadership had overreacted to a pre-election statement from the Spanish bishops' conference.
He charged that the government of Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero should recognize the right of the hierarchy to speak out on moral issues.
Archbishop Sebastian also criticized the government for its indifference to the country's religious traditions.
He said that the Zapatero government has shown equal respect for the Islamic veil and the Catholic observance of Holy Week, despite the country's strong Catholic tradition and the religious preferences of most Spanish citizens.
In a bid to ease tensions between the government and the hierarchy, Archbishop Manuel Monteiro de Castro, the apostolic nuncio in Madrid, played host to Prime Minister Zapatero at a dinner on February 14.
Conversations between the two continued until well after midnight. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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