Madrid, Spain, Jan 9, 2008 / 11:33 am
The Archdiocese of Valencia has announced that since the enormous protest in support of the family on December 30 in Madrid, Cardinal Agustin Garcia-Gasco, one of the leaders of the event that brought together some 2 million people, has received a constant stream of support.
The Spanish cardinal became the target of one the most aggressive attacks by Socialists for his remarks denouncing the government’s anti-life and anti-family policies.
During his speech at the protest, Cardinal Garcia-Gasco said secularism “builds nothing and only leads to despair; [it brings] abortion, express divorce, and ideologies that aim to manipulate the education of young people”.
“This is not the way you respect the 1978 Constitution,” he went on, warning that Spain could be facing “the dissolution of democracy. Spanish government officials, including President Jose Luis Zapatero, reacted strongly to the cardinals remarks.
The president of the Federation of Catholic Associations of Parents of Students in Valencia, Nicolas Sanchez, said the cardinal gave a “correct analysis that we completely support,” and he underscored that the current laws “that promote abortion, express divorce or the manipulation of education do not help strengthen democracy, they do the complete opposite.”
The Association of Catholic Lawyers in Valencia also expressed its “total support” and “complete agreement” with the cardinal’s statements. “It is urgent we become aware of what is at stake when unjust laws contrary to the common good of society are passed,” said Guzman Guia, president of the Association.
The president of the Tyrius Association of Homemakers, Asuncion Frances, expressed her support for the cardinal, “because the family is the basis of everything,” she said.
She said Cardinal Garcia-Gasco’s comments made “all families feel welcomed and understood in our concerns.”
Union Leader Fermin Palacios said the cardinal’s remarks were warranted “because in Spain laws that attack fundamental rights, such as life, freedom of education and others, are being promoted.”
The Director of the Institute of Life Sciences at San Vicente Catholic University, Justo Aznar, praised the “magnificent example of pacifism” displayed by the families at the December 30 event, which he said was the purest expression of democracy.