On Sunday, March 30th, thousands of Spaniards gathered at the Basilica of the Valley of the Fallen in Madrid to celebrate Mass in support of the monument, defying the recent attempts by the Pedro Sánchez government to “resignify” the emblematic place.
Built from 1940–1959 with Republican POW labor under Franco’s directive post-Spanish Civil War, the monument aims to honor all victims and foster reconciliation. It holds 33,000 remains from both sides and features a Benedictine abbey active for over 60 years.
The call to attend the Mass, posted on social networks with the slogan “El Valle no se toca” (The Valley is not to be touched), was heeded by an unexpected number of Spaniards. What was initially planned as a single ceremony at 11 a.m. had to be doubled with another at 1 p.m. due to the massive influx of attendees.
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This mobilization is in response to an agreement reached on February 25th seeking to force the departure of Father Santiago Cantera, prior of the Benedictine community of the Valley, described by the Sánchez government as “Francoist,” and to transform up to 90% of the monumental complex, including the biggest cross in the world, a symbol that for many represents a space of memory and reconciliation.
Photo: Contrainformacion.es
Many Spanish Catholics believe the Church let them down by signing on to the agreement with the socialist government. The lukewarm attitude of institutions such as the Episcopal Conference and the Vatican has generated controversy, with the faithful viewing these actions as exploiting the memory of the Civil War for political purposes, in line with the so-called Law of Democratic Memory.
Luis Felipe Utrera-Molina, a lawyer committed to the defense of the current form of the Valley, told europeanconservative.com that the memorial place could be designated as an “asset of cultural interest” which by Spanish law would mean “not a single stone could be moved”, but there is no political will to do so.
Utrera-Molina is also critical of the church for yielding to pressure from the government. “That the church agrees that a sacred place is allowed to succumb to socialist propaganda is intolerable,” he says, describing the Vatican’s behavior as “cowardly.”
Sunday’s Mass was not only a liturgical act but a declaration of principles in the face of what many see as an ideological attack on a sacred and symbolic place. The battle, both in the courts and in the collective consciousness, is far from over.
