Archbishop warns of danger of totalitarianism of Spanish government

Madrid, Spain, Jul 13, 2005 / 22:00 pm

The Vice President of the Bishops’ Conference of Spain, Archbishop Antonio Cañizares Llovera of Toledo, denounced the educational policy of the Spanish government this week as an attempt to “invade” the private sector of citizens that could lead to “a type of totalitarianism that no democratic voting could ever justify.”

In conference at a summer course on Church-State relations organized by the St. Paul University, the archbishop warned that when “a State tends to invade the private spheres of people or attempts to promote social changes and a new culture desired by some group in power,” it falls into “a sort of totalitarianism that no democratic voting could ever justify.”

During the event, which was also attended by Spain’s Minister of Justice, Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar, Archbishop Cañizares said the current “invasion” of the State suggests a violation of the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens.

Referring to the issue of religion in schools, he warned that any “monopolizing tendency” on the part of the State implies “a grave danger of ideological manipulation from political power.”  Although two proposals on education rolled out by the government last March and June envision schools to be strictly “public and secular,” the archbishop noted that the Constitution does not envision a purely secular State and that in addition it cannot be ignored that the majority in Spain is Catholic.