EUROPE/SPAIN - Letter from the Bishop of Palencia: “All the Bishops did was to offer Catholic some guiding moral criteria before making their own electoral choice. ”

Palencia (Agenzia Fides) - Bishop José Ignacio Munilla of the diocese of Palencia, has issued a Letter in which he calls for a clearer reading of the recent Note issued by the Standing Committee of the Spanish Bishops' Conference (see Fides 1/2/2008), “without intermediaries which indispose people to accept it ”, and offers his own reflections on the Note.
First of all Bishop Munilla affirms “it is increasingly difficult to hope that moral principles proposed by the Church will be met with general consensus”. Besides plurality of thought, it is necessary to underline different attitudes in the Bishops' declarations and the ensuing political declarations. The Bishops said they respect different visions and opinions and simply demand “freedom and respect to propose our own vision without anyone feeling threatened, or for our intervention to be taken as an offence or a threat to the freedom of others”.
The Bishops sole aim was to “sincerely promote spiritual enrichment in our society and the consolidation of authentic tolerance and harmony in mutual respect, freedom and justice as the inseparable basis for true peace ”. Bishop Munilla explains that it is totally false to say that the Church has “joined the electoral campaign”. All the Bishops did was to “offer Catholic some guiding moral criteria before making their own electoral choice”. These criteria include: “respect for human life from conception to natural end; juridical protection for marriage; support for families and the right to choose moral education for the children; immovable opposition to terrorist blackmail; distinction between health and evil secularism; moderation of nationalism; special attention for immigrants; housing for all; respect for nature; international collaboration for development of countries; defend women from discrimination and abuse; fight slavery of prostitution; denounce unjust difference among individuals and autonomous communities, etc”. “In no way does the Note - says the Bishop of Palencia - judge political parties. It is simply a declaration of consolidated moral doctrine, which makes no concrete reference to anyone”.
Lastly Bishop Munilla expresses a wish and a question: since political parties never completely meet moral guidelines “could lay Catholics not launch initiatives to develop a political vocation in keeping with the Christian ideal, so that citizens are not obliged always to choose the lesser evil?”. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 5/2/2008; righe 30, parole 421)