When Insult Replaces Dialogue: Statement from Christian Networks Regarding the Declarations of the President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference
The recent declarations by the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, who labeled the Government of Spain a “band of thieves,” cause us deep scandal and profound concern. Not because the Church must renounce expressing its opinion on public life, but because insult can never replace discernment or dialogue.
Relations between institutions in a democratic society must always be built upon respect. The one who presides over the Episcopal Conference does not speak only in his own name: he publicly represents a Church called to be a ferment and a place of fraternity and reconciliation, not polarization.
It pains us that part of the Spanish hierarchy, appointed through procedures foreign to any democratic participation of the People of God, appears too often aligned with the most reactionary sectors of society, questioning democratic advances and fueling political confrontation.
Moral authority also demands coherence. While serious accusations are launched against democratic institutions, the Catholic Church in Spain continues to enjoy important historical privileges that contradict the principle of equality. Among these is the scandal of the registration of thousands of properties under the protection of legislation inherited from Francoism, which granted bishops exceptional prerogatives that no other citizen or institution possessed. Whoever claims exemplary conduct should start by reviewing their own privileges.
It is also worth remembering the context in which Monsignor Argüello made those disqualifications. He did so regarding the prohibition of so-called conversion therapies directed at homosexual people. Once again, we witness the position of a sector of the Catholic hierarchy that disregards scientific consensus —expressed, among other documents, in the declaration of the World Psychiatric Association in 2016— and maintains positions that imply serious discrimination against LGBTQ people. That context makes the tone used and the disqualification of democratic institutions even more worrying.
However, we do not confuse the hierarchy with the Church. The Church is mainly thousands of communities, religious men and women, priests, and laypeople who live the Gospel through service to impoverished people, migrants, the sick, and the excluded. That humble and serving Church deserves more respect from its hierarchs and our recognition and hope.
The Gospel never demands privileges or power. Jesus of Nazareth did not demand them to impose his truth nor did he seek the backing of the powerful. His authority came from mercy, justice, and service.
That is why we embrace Pope Leo XIV’s call to “disarm words.” But we also believe it necessary to disarm privileges, renounce any pretense of moral superiority, and return to the Gospel stripped of power.
From Christian Networks, we ask the Episcopal Conference to abandon the language of confrontation and recover the humble word that listens, dialogues, and builds humanity. Only then can the Church be good news for our time.