In an act that has been almost completely ignored by the press and even the blogosphere (whether secular or religious) outside of Spain, the Spanish government decided on November 3 to ban the entry into the Benedictine-run Basilica inside the Valle de los Caidos, not just of tourists but even of the faithful who want to attend Mass. The Guardia Civil has been charged with enforcing the order, thus proving the essential correctness of the Pope's comparison of today's levels of anticlericalism in Spain with that of the 1930's.
Therefore, last Sunday (November 7, 2010), even as the Pope was in Barcelona, Mass was celebrated by the Benedictines at the entrance of the Valle de los Caidos, highlighting this dramatic violation by the Spanish government of the rights of the Church and of her faithful. This is set to be repeated next Sunday. (The Benedictines of the Valle belong to the Solesmes Congregation, known for its devotion to Latin in the liturgy and Gregorian chant.)
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The Valle de los Caidos, the Valley of the Fallen, was constructed on the orders of Francisco Franco as a monument to all who died during the Spanish Civil War, especially those who fell "for God and Spain". It has long been a target of the current Spanish government, which is bent on securing "justice" for the socialist / communist / anarchist "martyrs" who fought to destroy Catholic Spain in the 1930's.
Source: ACIPrensa and La Ciguena de la Torre.
