CV NEWS FEED // The Vatican and the Spanish government, together with the archbishop of Madrid, have reached a controversial agreement regarding the future of a historic Catholic site with ties to nationalist military general and former ruler Francisco Franco.
The Socialist Spanish government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, is attempting to “resignify” numerous monuments and sites throughout Spain, and the Valley of the Fallen near Madrid is one of the most recent objectives.
The Valley of the Fallen is a monument consisting of a basilica, a nearly 500-foot cross, a Benedictine monastery, a school, and a representation of the stations of the cross, CNA reported. Franco commissioned the monument after the Spanish Civil War to serve as a symbol of national reconciliation and a memorial to those who died in the war. Nearly 34,000 unidentified soldiers from both sides of the war are buried in the basilica.
Catholic News Agency (CNA) defined “resignification” as a government effort to “reinterpret or redefine their [the sites’] meaning in order to adapt them to new contexts, perspectives, or purposes.”
The Valley of the Fallen remains a controversial topic in Spain, with many arguing that the basilica should become a purely secular memorial to Spanish history. The Catholic Church, however, wishes it to remain a religious site.
Spanish outlet EDATV News reported March 30 that the Spanish government and the Vatican reached an agreement Feb. 25, deciding to preserve the religious aspect of the basilica and permit the Benedictine monks to remain in their monastery.
However, according to an English translation of the article obtained by CatholicVote, Prior Santiago Cantera, who was the prior administrator of the basilica for three years, has been removed from his position. He previously advocated for the basilica to remain a religious site and resisted the exhumation of Franco from the basilica in 2019.
His successor is more friendly to the government’s wish that the basilica be seen as a place of national reconciliation, but also is hopeful that it can continue being a place of prayer, worship, and peace.
The agreement reportedly stipulated that the basilica will not be deconsecrated, and it will continue to serve as a place of worship and prayer. The archbishop of Madrid, José Cobo, approved the agreement between the Vatican and the government March 3.
EDATV News reported that since the approval of the agreement, the public has made it clear that it opposes any proposed changes.
“In the last week, thousands of faithful have gathered at the Valley’s basilica to attend Mass; a gesture of rejection of the modifications the government intends to make to the monument. Despite logistical complications and the [government] order not to open the two access gates, which caused traffic jams of more than an hour, the turnout exceeded all expectations,” EDATV News reported, calling the response “a massive act of protest.”
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