The Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) has distanced itself this Friday from the discourse of "national priority" defended by Vox and has defended that the Church places the "priority of the Gospel" above any political approach.
Its general secretary and spokesperson, Francisco César García Magán, has also warned that the institution "will never" agree with proposals that seek to "exclude or annul the other".
The statements have occurred during a press conference in Madrid after the 129th Plenary Assembly of the Spanish bishops, where the spokesperson has criticized what he considers a political dynamic based on "slogans" and "polarization".
"The Church does not move to the beat of slogans"
García Magán has insisted that the Church's position "is not ideological" and has underlined that its central reference is the Gospel. Within that framework, he has defended the dignity of the human person as an inalienable principle and has called for a "serene and realistic" public debate.
He has also warned that current politics tends to simplify messages, which in his opinion contributes to social confrontation.
Criticism of Vox and accusation of "defamation" against Abascal
The spokesperson for the EESC has responded to the criticisms made by the president of Vox, Santiago Abascal, who had accused the Church of "doing business with illegal immigration".
García Magán has rejected those claims and has spoken directly of "defamation", assuring that these are accusations "without basis in truth" and motivated by a logic of ideological confrontation.
Furthermore, he has defended the work of organizations such as Cáritas in assisting migrant persons, after cuts in public aid to social entities were proposed.
Migration, art, and public debate
In the same meeting, the episcopal spokesperson has backed the statements of the bishop of the Canary Islands on the situation of migrants and has insisted on the need for empathy and "non-ideologized" analysis of the migratory reality.
He has also addressed the debate on religious art and the controversy surrounding the artist Marko Rupnik, defending the distinction between the work and the personal life of the author.
Regarding the future of the Valley of Cuelgamuros, the CEE has reiterated that it maintains its position of dialogue with the institutions and has underlined that the basilica retains its canonical status.
Likewise, the bishops have expressed their wish that the Pope's visit contribute to "lowering the tone of polarization" in Spanish public life.