Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Madrid (Fides Service) - “We received massive undreamed of support for this demonstration which is unique in the history of the Spanish democracy” said Lola Velarde Vice president of the European network of Family Policy Institutions IPF at a media conference in Madrid. IPF is in charge of international co-ordination in view of the June 18 demonstration in Madrid Pro-family and pro-real marriage and against a law to give same sex unions the status of marriage and allow homosexual couples to adopt children. According to the organisers the event has the support of 15 international federations in 60 different countries, over 1,000 associations (400 European, 650 American 25 in Oceania) in representing millions of people.
“We reject no one. We want simply to save children from suffering and in this we are joined by millions of people all over the world” said Lola Velarde. “To the Spanish families who will be in the streets on Saturday must be added millions of other families on every continent”.
Vice president of the Spanish Family Forum Benigno Blanco denounced the Spanish government for refusing all dialogue with family associations and ignoring 700,000 signatures to a pro-family petition and wanting to impose regressive measures against the family. “But - he said - the government must now face massive opposition from Spanish society with unprecedented international support”.
Collaborater organisation HazteOir denounced a chain of television networks for appealing to homosexuals to take part in a counter-demonstration on the same day June 18. This demonstration, a carnival parade in the central Castellana street (a street denied to the pro-Family event) does not have government permission and aims at stopping the more than 1 million participants from getting to the pro-family march. (RZ) (Agenzia Fides 17/6/2005, righe 28, parole 368)
