The leader of Spain’s Vox party has criticised the country’s bishops of “weakness” and “silence” that he suggests may have been bought by government grants, while also of being “muzzled” by the fallout of the Church’s clerical sexual abuse crisis.
It follows a row that erupted after the 28 July decision by the Jumilla city council in the southeastern region of Murcia to pass a motion permitting restrictions on Islamic festivities in the city, reports the Rome-based Catholic news agency Crux.
The motion that was originally proposed by Vox, a populist party often referred to as far-right, initially called for an outright ban on Islam's Eid al-Adha festival, also known as the Feast of Sacrifice or the Festival of the Lamb, and “other similar commemorations alien to our traditions”. But this strictness was tempered by an amendment from the conservative Popular Party (PP) that controls the council.
