Rosario de Ferraz explains why they pray despite prohibitions from the Government of Spain

The organizer of the Rosario de Ferraz, José Andrés Calderón, assured that they will continue praying despite the prohibitions of the Delegation of the Government of Spain in Madrid because “we must obey God before men.”

The Ferraz Rosary is a call to pray the Marian prayer for the conversion of Spain and the entire world that has been carried out since November 12, 2023 on the steps of the Sanctuary of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Madrid every afternoon, from 7:00 p.m.: 30 at 8:00 p.m. (local time).

In an interview with EWTN Noticias, Calderón responded to the question about why to pray despite the prohibitions and highlighted that “there are many reasons but the fundamental one is that we must obey God before men. Without a doubt, prayer is something inherent to every Christian. God told us that we had to pray, pray and pray; and he also told us that for defending his message we would be persecuted.”

“Faced with a manifestly unjust law or order – as Pope Leo XIII said – a Catholic has to disobey because God comes first and no human authority can prohibit us (from praying),” he said.

“Faced with a tyrannical prohibition, a Catholic must be very clear that he only serves one Lord and then act without fear of anything or anyone,” stressed the organizer of Rosario de Ferraz.

After recalling that the Ferraz Rosary has been prayed uninterruptedly for 235 days, Calderón said that the government has tried to ban it on three occasions, alleging different reasons such as

The Spanish government has tried to ban it on three occasions: from November 27 to 30, the first weekend in June, and July 1 and 2. There is currently no ban; but the case is in court. In fact, the latest decision of the Madrid Superior Court ordered the latest ban and a fine, bringing the total amount of these sanctions now to 5,400 euros.

“We live in a system with permanent legal insecurity,” Calderón lamented and added: “There are people who do not like us to pray and are using all the mechanisms at their disposal. In that sense, the fines seek a very clear objective, which is to cause harm.”

Thousands united around the Virgin Mary

The organizer of the Ferraz Rosary also highlighted that those who pray there “have the warmth of the Virgin. We always say that the one who captains us, the one who guides us and the one who makes all this possible is the Virgin Mary, because if not, it is not explainable that there are 235 days praying in a row on stairs.

After pointing out that thousands join virtually, from different parts of the world, to pray the Rosary of Ferraz, Calderón said that “we do not pray to overthrow governments, we do not pray against anyone, we pray in defense of the faith, because all of us who are there have One thing is very clear: society, the world, has turned its back on God, societies are being built without having God and the Virgin Mary present.”

“All Catholics must be united and we must defend our faith. If we don’t do it now, when are we going to do it? We have to be united, because they are not only attacking the Rosario de Ferraz, but the cross,” said the organizer of the Rosario de Ferraz.

“It bothers them that we pray in defense of our faith,” he said.

Nathali Paredes, EWTN Noticias journalist, collaborated on this article.