Madrid Rally For Family Values

International News, By Christian Taylor, 29th December, 2009

On Sunday, thousands of Catholics attended a rally in Central Madrid, against the government’s progressive policies on abortion, gay civil unions and divorce.

As reported by UK’s The Telegraph, a large outdoor mass was held at Madrid’s Plaza de Lima, with Catholic leaders from within Spain and across Europe talking about the need for “Christian values”.

Laws which have been passed in recent years by Spain’s Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, have angered conservatives, and include more relaxed access to divorce, and gay marriage, which were introduced in 2005. Earlier this month Socialist deputies in the lower parliamentary chamber voted in favour of a pro-abortion bill which will go before the senate in the new year. The law will permit abortions on demand up to the 14th week of pregnancy, and if the mother’s health is at risk then they would be permitted up to 22 weeks. Spain currently only allows abortion in cases of rape, foetal malformation or when the mother’s mental or physical health is at risk.

73 year old Cardinal Antonio Rouco, the Archbishop of Madrid, told the crowd that “Europe will be practically without children” under the current laws, and that anyone “who denies to defend a human being so innocent and weak, already conceived but not born, commits a grave violation of moral order.” Times Of Malta quoted him as saying that the traditional family is under threat by the acceptance of “different models of families”.

Pope Benedict XVI also sent a message of support to the mass, which was broadcast on large screens to the crowd. He said that a family was “founded on the marriage between a man and a woman” and that this “is of paramount importance for the present and the future of humanity”.

Related Videos

Tori Amos - Part II 30 November, 2009

Your Thoughts

pioneer_to_the_falls

said on the 29th Dec, 2009

Spain legalised gay marriage, not civil unions :) I can't see Zapatero caving in cause of this rally. He was pretty vocal about his liberal policies prior to his election (the first and second time). On a whole, I'd say the Spanish people agree with his stance.

blueterrace

said on the 31st Dec, 2009

Wrold population 1804 - 1 billion 1927 - 2 billion 1960 - 3 billion 1974 - 4 billion 1987 - 5billion 2000 - 6 billion 2009 - .6.9 billion Umm Pope-Miester...humans aren't in much danger of dying out. At least not through low birth rates. Although if you look at church attendence and the number of priests being turned out...it won't be long before we're all bidding a hearty "auf wiedersehen" to your lot.

Spooky

said on the 1st Jan, 2010

They should go and live in Uganda.

To post a comment, you need to be a SameSame Member

Log-in now or signup for a new account