Basque Priests Support Egunkaria

While some priests and bishops use the money of their diocesis to cover up the sexual predatory practices of some of their own people, in other places the men that dedicate their lives to their religious beliefs direct their efforts to defend justice, as the one who died on a cross did. Of course, the Pope is known for wasting more ink and time on getting the sexual predators out of trouble than to meet those that from within bring a degree of respectability to the damaged image of the Catholic Church.

CONCERNING THE CLOSING OF THE DAILY BASQUE PAPER EGUNKARIA AND THE ARREST OF THOSE IN CHARGE OF THE PAPER

The closing of the only Basque daily paper, by the minister of interior of the Spanish government, and the arrest of those responsible for the paper have raised up strong feelings of an entire population of journalists of other papers in the Basque Country and beyond, and of a certain number of associations in the Southern and Northern parts of the Basque country. Some priests of our diocese who are part of the "Herriarekin" Association, have shown their solidarity with these prisoners.

Saint*Palais(64120), March 3, 2003

The Basque priests of the "Herriarekin" Association were reunited for their monthly assembly and were informed of the closing of Egunkaria (Feb. 20, 2003) and of the arrests of those in charge of the daily paper.

We ourselves have been subscribers to this paper since its creation. We show our solidarity with these tortured prisoners and with the personnel affected by the closure of the paper. Despite the denials and the threats by the minister of interior ACEBES of the AZNAR government, we believe these prisoner's allegations of the torture to which they have been subjected inside the prisons of the Guardia Civil. Already, the FIJ (Federation International of Journalists who represent more than 500,000 journalists in more than 100 countries) and the European office of languages least known have made unambiguous statements concerning the matter.
We wish that the press and the media provide the best publicity to this affair.

From the Archdiocese of Bayonne Newsletter:

We think:

That an attack on the freedom of speech is a very serious offense and even more: That this attack affects the only means of daily press in the Basque Language, read on both sides of the Bidassoa; That this attack intervenes with all serious investigations; That those arrested, like all people, have the right to the respect of their dignity and that competent authorities should objectively and calmly, verify the accusations of the torture to which the police have been accused; That the freedom given to a journal written in the Basque language is a right that all democratic governments should permit and that the respect of this right should be supported by the Spanish government and not confused between the peaceful defense of the Basque culture and a movement that feeds violence that we condemn.

With this said, the Church throughout the world accomplishes its prophetic mission so full of human truth, justice and love. It's the reason in which, some priests authorize themselves to interfere like this in this profound public debate, by their minister of reconciliation.

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