Bishop Luis Argüello, secretary general of the bishops’ conference spoke as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez launched his “progressive coalition” with the far-left Unidas Podemos party, led by political scientist Pablo Iglesias. He told the Madrid-based Revista Ecclesia that the Church was ready to consider “a new relationship more in line with the characteristics of today’s society”, but also counted on the government to “respect the existence of religious confessions (…)”.

“The Church isn’t seeking privileges nor does it want to be discriminated against,” said Bishop Luis Argüello, secretary general of the bishops’ conference. “Our welfare state depends on the Spanish Church’s active role in education, health, social services and care for the elderly. Instead of considering it a residue of the past or a nest of privilege, the authorities should value its work with generosity and solidarity.”

In a pastoral letter, Bishop Ginés Ramón García Beltrán of Getafe wrote: “We are concerned about the unknown, and how the plans of the Left will be fulfilled, as repeated in all the government’s proposals for an exclusive secularism. But Catholics have to be people of hope and instruments of virtue. Although we have reason to despair, we mustn’t lose confidence”.

Pedro Sánchez promised to work on for a “dignified death and euthanasia”, the scrapping of religious teaching in schools and “facilitating recovery of assets improperly registered to the Church”.

Source: catholicherald.co.uk