Church in Spain alerts the danger of authoritarianism derived from corruption

The Spanish bishops warn of the danger that institutional corruption, “cancer of democracy”, derives in “authoritarianism”, after the serious complaints against the political and personal environment of President Pedro Sánchez in recent months.

As a result of this situation, the president of the Spanish Epsicopal Conference (CEE), Mons. Luis Argüello, has asked to advance the elections, in view of the institutional and political blockade in which the Executive is.

The CEE spokesman, Mons. Francisco César García Magán has added this Friday that the proposal of Mons. Argüello must be understood as the claim of “a basic principle of a democracy”.

“I think the President (Argüello), by elevation, which has put on the table is something as important as putting the common good and what is convenient for Spain and Spanish society, above the interests of parties,” added the prelate.

Regarding the serious accusations, among others, against Pedro Sánchez’s wife or his last two organization secretaries in the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), Mons. García Magán said that “corruption is one of the cancers of a democracy.”

This morning, the Central Operational Unit of the Civil Guard has entered the national headquarters of the PSOE to clone the hard disk of the Santos Cerdán computer, one of the former secretaries of organization indicated.

“Whether the color is, (corruption) Mina the pillars of a democracy, understood as that government of the people, because it loses credibility. And the corruption of a democratic system is a dangerous entrance door then to authoritarian situations,” added the spokesman for the EEC.

In the opinion of Mons. García Magán, to “save the democratic system”, we must seek the common good of society, which “is above the interests of tacticist or merely electoral parties.”

On the other hand, the prelate has affirmed that the Church with these statements does not enter “the game of policy with lowercase”, because “no political party is the Church party.”

This does not affect the fact that the Church has the right to express itself in the civil sphere “with freedom”, like other social groups, to which it is added that “it is the obligation of the shepherds to illuminate the social reality of the faithful. That is political with capital letters.”

With these pronouncements, the prelate has defended, the Church urges “all, to the responsibilities of governed and rulers, to look for the common good”, which does not imply that “the entire political class as corrupt, without more.”

That generalist accusation would lead to “a dangerous dynamic of populism. And populism is linked, whether extreme right or extreme left, always with authoritarianism, to the detriment of democracy.”

A letter from the Government of Spain

After the statements of the bishops, Félix Bolaños, Minister of Justice of Spain, sent a letter to Mons. Luis Argüello, in which he accuses the episcopate of being in “spiritual communion” with the right -wing parties.

“It is not the first time in our recent history in which there is a spiritual and political communion between the presiding organization and the political parties of the right and the ultra -right,” Bolaños said in the letter, according to the Chain ser.

The minister also indicates that, although the bishops “have decided to depart from political and partisan neutrality and even the most elementary institutional respect, the Government will continue to address the relationship between Church and State with full respect, although, logically, defending our positions and, above all, the general interest and that of the most vulnerable people, especially in relation to the victims of abuse within the Church.”

Bishop Munilla’s response

Mons. José Ignacio Munilla, Bishop of Orihuela-Aliante, published an answer to the Bolaños letterpointing out three considerations.

The first, says the bishop, refers to the fact that “the positioning of the Church in social matters does not coincide with the so -called ‘right’ in important matters: case of immigration or international politics … Therefore, it is false that the Church is aligned with any political party.”

The second has to do with corruption, which is currently expressed in maneuvers such as the amnesty of “criminals to obtain their parliamentary support, dynamiting the separation of powers, etc … This is the main and most serious corruption; and which, certainly, is not sustainable.”

And the third questions Minister Bolaños who, “in full storm, specifically” is set “in the critical manifestations made by the Church.”

“Why has you chosen the Church among so many social sectors? How much transcendent is the voice of the Church? It is easy to perceive a distraction maneuver, with very few chances of success,” concludes Mons. Munilla.

Updated at 17:58 of June 20, 2025: the information about the letter of Minister Bolaños and the response of Bishop Munilla was added.