Bishop condemns vulgar parody of Our Lady

The Bishop of Huelva denounces the mockery of the Virgin Mary on Catalan television

Santiago Gómez, bishop of Huelva, has condemned the vulgar parody of the Virgen del Rocío on TV3.

In a statement published this Easter Sunday, the Bishop of Huelva pointed out that freedom of expression "cannot offend religious beliefs, not even those of the Catholics of El Rocío". The prelate thus refers to the parody broadcast on the night of Holy Tuesday during the transmission of the programme 'Està passant' on TV3. In it, an actress dressed as the Virgin of El Rocío held in her hands a doll of a baby to which a crown had been attached and which was intended to allude to the Christ Child. The tone of the supposed jokes was debased throughout the staging.

The Prelate defended the idea that "the right to freedom of thought and expression, recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, cannot imply the right to offend the religious feelings of believers. This principle obviously applies to any religion."

In Gómez's view, "human coexistence requires a climate of mutual respect in order to foster peace among us. Criticism and mockery of Catholics shows a lack of human sensitivity and can lead to undesirable provocations".

The bishop concludes that "this is not the way to work to heal the wounds that may exist in our coexistence".

Procession of the Virgen del Rocío