In August Pope Benedict XVI will visit a Spain that faces aggressive
secularism and controversies concerning abortion, sexual ethics and
marriage.
But World Youth Day organizers hope the event can trigger a
revival of faith.
In May Archbishop Jose Ignacio Munilla Aguirre
of San Sebastian, Spain said he hopes Bl. John Paul II will inspire the
young people of Spain to attend the global youth gathering this August.
“In
recent years they have endured years of secularization,” he said of
Spain’s youth. “We are praying to John Paul II for his intercession,
that he touch the hearts of those who need to be touched so that they
will come.”
Pope Benedict XVI, during his two-day November 2010
pilgrimage to Spain, drew on the country’s Christian roots and noted the
need “to hear God once again under the skies of Europe.”
That need could be met at the upcoming World Youth Day, where over 420,000 young people from around the world have registered.
But
the event will take place during a time of tension caused by a
secularizing government and society.
Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela
of Madrid in November 2010 said that here has been a “revival of
radical secularism” that has prompted laws aimed at the basic
institutions of society such as marriage, the family and the right to
life.
In October 2009, more than two million people took part in a
pro-life march in Madrid to oppose an abortion law that allows abortion
on demand up to 14 weeks into pregnancy and for limited abortions up to
22 weeks.
However, opponents failed to stop the law.
The country
has recognized “gay marriage” since 2005, and the Socialist government
has implemented a compulsory school curriculum which has come under many
legal challenges.
Critics say that the curriculum promotes secularism
and sexual immorality, imposes an official view of gender ideology,
incites 12-year-olds to engage in sexual activity, and violates the
rights of parents and their children.
In a population of over 46
million Spaniards, 42.5 million are Catholic. However, less than 15
percent of the total population participates in Church life.
Even so, the Church still has a significant presence and influence.
There
are 22,890 parishes, 126 bishops, and almost 25,000 priests in the
country, and over 54,000 vowed religious, 2,800 lay members of secular
institutes, and almost 100,000 catechists.
There are 1,258 minor
seminarians and 1,866 major seminarians.
Over 1.4 million students
attend 5,535 institutions of Catholic education, from kindergartens to
universities.
Church-run institutions include 77 hospitals, 54 clinics,
one leper colony, 803 homes for the elderly or disabled, and 391
orphanages and nurseries.
The Church also runs 293 family counseling
centers and other pro-life centers.
Pope Benedict’s visit will take place from August 18 to 21.