Pope in Spain: It’s just like the 1930s
On a visit to Spain, Pope Benedict XVI issues surprisingly harsh criticism of the country’s political direction, the AP reports:
On his way to Santiago, Benedict told reporters that the anticlericalism seen now in Spain was reminiscent of the 1930s, when the church suffered a wave of violence and persecution as the country lurched from an unstable democracy to civil war. The reference was striking given the scale of violence back then, when the Roman Catholic Church claims that 4,184 clergy members were killed by the government, or Republican, side, which accused it of backing Franco’s fascist dictatorship.
Juan G. Bedoya, writing in El País, called the Pope’s statements “irresponsibly ignorant.” More here.
