Cardinal José Cobo has acknowledged in an off-the-record meeting with journalists that the Archdiocese of Madrid has no jurisdiction over either the Benedictine community or the basilica at the Valle de los Caídos.
In a recording of the meeting, obtained by InfoVaticana, held on January 23, the Archbishop of Madrid repeatedly sought to distance himself from responsibility for decisions concerning the pontifical monastery at Cuelgamuros, insisting that his authority extends only to pastoral matters. “We have no jurisdiction over either the community or the basilica, beyond the pastoral,” the cardinal said, stressing that the diocese merely “passes through there”.
