Benedict in Spain: Church-State tensions heat up

The Mediterranean town of Valencia, Spain, can be hot and muggy in July — all too symbolic of the relationship between the Church and Spain’s socialist government.

The Fifth World Meeting of Families will be held here July 1-9. The theme of this year’s congress is “Transmission of the Faith in the Family.” Pope Benedict XVI will arrive around noon July 8 to officiate over a family festival later that evening, as well as the following morning’s Mass.

While many of the international pilgrims may be oblivious to the thick atmosphere, many Spanish Catholics are hoping Pope Benedict’s 24-hour visit to Valencia will be a breath of fresh air infusing the Church’s faithful with the stamina to challenge the permissive platform of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s government.

Even Valencia’s name — a derivative of the Latin term valentia (strength or valor) — could be seen as almost iconic.

“Our idea, obviously, is also to take advantage of the Pope’s visit to send messages to the entire world regarding the government’s attacks on the family and education,” said Guillermo Perez, the president of Concape, Spain’s oldest and largest national Catholic parents’ association. “We must be active citizens. We cannot stay in our homes, but we must come out — especially in times like this — and defend the family.

Robert Steven Duncan is a consultant and a widely published foreign correspondent who lives in Spain. Besides having articles appearing in WSJ, Barron's, Smart Money, Newsweek, the National Catholic Register and many other places, he has held various leadership posts in the communication sector. He publishes the "RSD Report" at http://www.robertstevenduncan.com