They ask that bishops do not collaborate with the resignification of the Valley of the Fallen

Dozens of protesters were concentrated on Monday in front of the headquarters of the Spanish Episcopal Conference to protest against the agreement between the Government of Spain and the Holy See for the so -called “resignification” of the Valley of the Fallen.

The Valley of the Fallen is a monumental complex built after the Spanish Civil War, among others, in order to “beg God for the souls of the dead in the National Crusade, impetrate the blessings of the Most High for Spain and work for the knowledge and implementation of peace among men, on the basis of Christian social justice.”

There are buried between 33,000 and 50,000 Spaniards of both sides, deceased- “Fallen”- during the Civil War. Since 2007, the Socialist Government chaired by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero launched a series of measures to resignify the place, which have been reinforced since 2018 with the arrival of the government of also socialist Pedro Sánchez.

In the agreement between the Government and the Holy See, which was known by a filtration, it is expected that only the altar and the benches of the Pontifical Basilica of the Holy Cross are preserved, but that changes can be made in the dome, the lobby, the atrium and the ship.

Throughout the weekend, but also on Monday, at the beginning of the plenary assembly of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), a series of mobilizations of those who are contrary to the intentions of the Government and much more to a possible agreement with the Catholic Church for these purposes have occurred.

Cardinal José Cobo came to the passage of leaks on the agreement last Wednesday, stressing that, although he has acted as “interlocutor designated within an ecclesial commission” and beyond his pastoral work, his role has been of “accompaniment, but without having jurisdiction over the basilica or on the religious community that resides there”.

Thus, at the headquarters of the EEC, fifty people who have protested with shouts, banners and some proclamations have concentrated during the morning. They have been able to see posters with the slogan “Cobo Judas” and voices that proclaimed “traitorous bishops, you are desecrating.”

They ask that the Valley of the Fallen be preserves in its integrity

Far from these people, with another attitude, there were people like Jesús García-Conde, who has approached the doors of the EEC to deliver some stamps with the image of Santa María del Valle de los Fallen.

In statements to ACI Press, García-Conde, promoter of the initiative Letters in the ValleyHe explained that his intention is that the bishops “commit themselves to defend the valley of the fallen in their integrity”, in line with the sentence registered on the reverse of the stamp: “It preserves the character of place of cult of cemetery of the entire enclosure and do not allow the song of praise that the Benedictine monks offer you.”

“For this we have come today, so that the Valley of the Fallen, without desecrations, is conserved,” he added.

A few 50 meters from the door of the church house in Madrid, and even closer, paintings on the wall and sidewalks have been made in recent hours with slogans such as “Cee Traitors”, “The Valley is not touched”, “Bishops sell to Christ for 30 coins” and “betrayal of the martyrs.”

Mons. Cobo: “The initiative is from the Government”

At the end of the inaugural discourse of the president of the EEC, Mons. Luis Argüello, Cardinal Cobo has expressed in respect of the protests his surprise while stressing that the initiative of the “resignification” process is from the Government and that the role of the Church has been of defense of religious spaces.

“Perplexed, because this is the initiative of the Government and the Government is the one that has taken the steps, it is the one that has the initiative and is the one that has begun,” said the cardinal.

The purple has added about his performance: “What we have done is to defend religious spaces, which there comes the project they have,” in reference to the Executive.

Cardinal Cobo has also summarized that “all the adventure” has consisted of “trying to harmonize” the different “independent entities” immersed in the process.

Hundreds come to Mass in the Valley of the Fallen

Last Sunday, hundreds of people went to the Valley of the Fallen to join the Eucharist of 11 in the morning, collapsing from an hour before the road that leads to the door of the enclosure.

Some of those who came, could not arrive on time at that first Mass, so they attended the 13 -hour.

This happened to the president of the association rooted in Christ and Society, José Castro, who expressed his hope that ”at least this mass assistance to the valley makes our ecclesiastical authorities think of the need for not collaborating in this diabolical plan to destroy this peace site and turn it into a hate and misrepresentation of our history”.

“It is not worth making changals with those who hate us”

For its part, the promoter of the Rosary of Ferraz, José Andrés Calderón, made the decision to transfer for a day, the call that has been holding for more than 500 days of praying for the salvation of Spain and the world, from the center of Madrid to the Valley of the Fallen.

Thus, last Saturday he moved to the enclosure to carry out the Marian prayer in the place, which was transmitted Through its YouTube channel At the time you can usually follow the prayer in Ferraz.

Calderón denounced from the Valley of the Fallen that “our societies live radically from God”, so he considered it appropriate to remember the words of Santa Catalina de Siena: “Enough of silences! Shout with one hundred thousand languages! Because, for having silent, the world is rotten.”

After recounting a series of attacks against the Christians, he said that “the drop that has filled the glass is the project of desecration and desacralization of the Basilica of the Valley of the Fallen.”

Given this, he defended that “in the face of militant atheism there is only one reaction from Christians committed to the cross” in which there are “the half inks or lukewarm.”

In his opinion, “if we give up, the servants of evil will not stop until you see every closed and Christian temple persecuted. In this fight the laity cannot be alone. We need the help of the shepherds.”

In this sense, he addressed the Spanish bishops:

“They cannot be sold for thirty silver coins. We need some of the voice against so much impiety. We must defend our Christian symbols without fear and, as San Ambrosio did, oppose the interference and attacks of tyrants who only seek to see the Catholics cornered already a dead and without faith Spain.”

“It is not worth making changals with those who hate us. You can stop all this. And many will support you. Do not hesitate. But if you look the other way, many souls will be seduced by those Pharisees who say that outside the Church there is salvation. Christians need you,” he concluded.