More than 100 priests from Madrid's poorest parishes have added
their voices to the growing protest at the cost of Pope Benedict's visit
to Madrid next week.
An umbrella group – the Priest's Forum –
says the estimated €60m (£53m) cost of the papal visit, not counting
security, cannot be justified at a time of massive public sector cuts
and 20% unemployment in Spain.
Evaristo
Villar, a 68-year-old member of the group, said he objected to the
multinationals with which the Catholic church has had to ally itself to
cover the costs of the "showmanship" of the event.
"The companies
that are backing World Youth Day and the pope's visit leave much to be
desired," he said. "They are the ones who, together with international
capital, have caused the crisis. We are not against the pope's visit, we
are against the way it is being staged."
The more than 100
corporate sponsors of the event include Coca-Cola, Telefónica and
Santander.
Opponents of the visit have set up a Facebook page calling
for a boycott of the sponsors.
Some 140 groups, among them the secular
organisation Europa Laica (Secular Europe), are against the visit.
"Catholics
can go wherever they like in Madrid but the freedom of movement of the
rest of us is restricted," said Francisco Delgado, leader of Europa
Laica, on discovering that the city had prohibited his group's proposed
march.
Europa Laica plans to march under the slogans "Not a penny
of my taxes for the pope" and "For a secular state".
There is particular
ire that the some 500,000 pilgrims expected in the city will get free
transport.
Madrid metro fares rose by 50% on Monday.
"With the
economic crisis we are going through, we can't pay for this. The church
should set the example," said a spokesman for the Indignados movement,
which has staged high-profile protests in central Madrid.
"They propose
to spend €60m when the regional government has just cut €40m from the
education budget."
Yago de la Cierva, the executive director of
World Youth Day 2011, an event built around the papal visit, said: "We
have made a huge effort to be moderate and economically responsible. The
new generations – young people today – they like big events and the
church uses all the tools that exist to present the message of Jesus
Christ."
Interest in the Catholic church is on the wane among
young people in Spain.
A recent survey by the national statistics office
showed that the number of believers aged 18 to 24 has fallen by 56% in
the past 10 years.
The pope's visit to Barcelona last November was
poorly received, with the popemobile forced to drive at top speed past
small groups of the faithful along mainly deserted streets.