The archbishop of Toledo emerged from the controversy caused by the participation of far-right and retired military man Blas Pinar Gutierrez in a religious ceremony in Toledo last week. The son of the founder of Fuerza Nueva laid his red military sash on Our Lady of Joy during an event at the San Andres Church in Toledo, in the presence of PP and Vox councilors, where the priest went so far as to describe. He as a “very generic” image of the Virgin Mary.
The initiative was supported by the confraternity of Our Lady of Joy and caused embarrassment from the Catholic community of Toledo, who said in a statement that they were “shocked and deeply affected by the act of outrage” because in their opinion “the delivery of the belt of a retired general to Our Lady of Joy by a person whose political positions are linked to extremism and undemocratic discourse, raises serious questions about democratic values and tolerance in our society.
From the archdiocese they state that they were “unaware” both of the act of taking the former voto of the Virgin Mary “and of the alleged complaints of some of the brothers that were published in the media” and that after speaking with the parish priest and the board of directors of the brotherhood explained that it was “a sacred religious act without any political connotation” without”.
It is recalled that the acceptance of offerings offered to the images of the Virgin Mary is a “common practice” carried out by various types of professionals such as athletes, bullfighters or artists, among others, and that “in this case a retired military man wanted to make a brother of the fraternity by accepting the board of directors.
The archbishop “regrets and rejects any partisan political questioning of the religious holiday” and asserts that “the Virgin Mary is the mother of all believers, so she demands that any attitude that puts her at the center of the controversy. avoided above all for the unity of his children around the peace of Jesus Christ.”
Source: El Diario
