EUROPE/SPAIN - “This law offends humanity and society and it will cause an unprecedented social rift. This is mistruth claiming to be truth" says Catholic Bishop of Tarazona in a Pastoral Letter to his people.

Tarazona (Fides Service) - “Besides offending God and the institution of marriage as he intended it to be this law offends humanity and society on which it will inflict an unprecedented rift by using the same term to define two totally different situations and giving them juridical equality. This is mistruth claiming to be truth” Bishop Demetrio Fernández of Tarazona, Spain said in a recent Pastoral letter “Conscientious Objection”.
The Bishop said if the law were to be approved it would cause a social rift with grave consequences for peaceful national co-existence since “there will be many citizens who cannot obey the law out of conscience ". Recalling that “conscientious objection is a fundamental right of every person”, the Bishop said that although this right is recognised by the Spanish Constitution (art. 16), the European Constitution (art 11-70), and by the European Court in Strasbourg, the Spanish government intends to outlaw this right. “This sort of conflict between what is morally right and what is legal- the Bishop concluded - cannot arise as long as the law respects the authentic good of the human person. But if this sort of conflict were to arise the believer knows he must obey God rather than man" (RG) (Agenzia Fides 19/5/2005, righe 17, parole 238)