Valley of the Fallen: They ask Spanish justice to paralyze resignification

The Christian Lawyers Foundation has raised an appeal before the National Court to achieve the paralysis of the “resignification” process of the Valley of the Fallen that promotes the Government of Spain.

The Valley of the Fallen was built after the Spanish Civil War as a place where thousands of combatants of both sides rest for eternity and to pray for peace and concord, a task entrusted to a community of Benedictine monks.

The enclosure, located about 50 kilometers from Madrid, is owned by national heritage and houses in addition to the monastery, a underground pontifical basilica, a hostel and the largest cross in the world, which can be seen kilometers away.

Since 2007, governments led by the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) began a process of “resignification” of the place, which they consider built for the exaltation of the side contrary to its own during the conflict, as well as the political regime established between 1939 and 1975, led by Francisco Franco.

The contentious administrative appeal of Christian lawyers is presented against an order from the Ministry of Housing published on March 31 In the Official State Gazette (BOE)for which the competence to sign the agreement “between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda, the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory and the Foundation of the Santa Cruz del Valle de los Fallen” in order to reconfigure the enclosure.

According to the same order, the resignification project aims to convert the monumental complex “into an interpretation node that foster constitutional and democratic values, and in which the knowledge and reflection of our past is promoted.”

Christian lawyers consider in its appeal that the Ministry of Housing “has no powers to carry out resignification”, which in any case would fall to the City of San Lorenzo del Escorial, in whose municipality is the Valley of the Fallen.

On the other hand, justice has been urged to adopt precautionary measures “to paralyze this order in an imminent way until the appeal is resolved”, understanding that resignification “would imply the loss of the loss of situation when of a unique and irreplaceable patrimonial good. ”

The president of the Entity of Jurists, Poland Castellanos, denounces in a statement that the Executive “has launched the resignification of the Valley to distract the attention of its multiple cases of corruption”, while reproaching that “it is able to spend 30 million euros of all Spaniards, arrogate competitions that it does not have and even end the largest cross in the world, everything to continue in power.”

Mobilizations in defense of the sacredness of the place

Last week, after knowing an agreement between the Secretary of State of the Vatican and the Government of Spain, in which the Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal José Cobo, commissioned by the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), has participated as a mediator, there have been mobilizations that advocate dealing with the “resignification” process.

This Monday there were protests at the gates of the Church House, where the Plenary Assembly of the Bishops is celebrated. It is expected that at the end of the works, the general secretary and spokesman of the EEC, Mons. Francisco César García Magán, mention the controversy.