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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, NOVEMBER 26, 1982
PAGE 5
coalition of centrist parties which had governed the country ever since its
return to democratic rule in 1976, the year after the death of
Generalissimo Francisco Franco. Thus Spain is posed somewhat precariously
on a left-right axis with the moderate center ground having collapsed.
Nevertheless, from conversations I had in Madrid, the Socialists and their
popular, young (aged 40) leader, Felipe Gonzalez, seemed to enjoy a wide
basis of support. Few people expect the Socialists to be as radical as their
counterparts were in the early 1930s, whose flirtation with communism
brought on the reaction from the right in the person of Franco. A disas
trous civil war resulted from 1936 to 1939.
(Significantly, Mr. Armstrong and his party visited the national shrine to
the victims of both sides in the war. This monument in the "Valley of the
Fallen" is located in a mountain range about an hour from Madrid. It con
sists primarily of a massive Catholic Cathedral tunneled deep into a
mountainside. A 181,000 ton cross rests on the peak, beneath which is the
basilica's dome. General Franco, who inspired the entire project and over
saw all aspects of its construction, is buried beneath the dome.
Mr.
Armstrong definitely wanted to see this national monument. He had been
there once before in 1956, two years before its actual completion. He was
escorted at that time by a member of the royal family.)
Papal Visit Stirs Spain's Soul
Even more significant than the startling turn of political events in Spain
--whose full impact is yet to be felt--was the remarkable ten-day visit of
Pope John Paul II to the country beginning only three days after the
election. (It had been scheduled months before.}
Of all John Paul's foreign trips this was the most grueling. While in Spain
the pope traveled 4,470 miles (7,152 kilometers), visiting nearly every
corner of the country. He made 50 separate appearances in 16 cities. It is
believed that up to two million people witnessed his arrival in Madrid.
More than one million of them attended his mass at the Plaza de Lima, per
haps the largest single crowd for a mass he has drawn on any of his 16
foreign trips.
Spaniards have long been known for their devotion to the Catholic faith.
The pope was believed to have said on this trip that the zeal of the Spanish
even exceeded that of his native Poland, where the impact of communist
atheism has taken its inevitable toll. Nevertheless, the pope aimed to put
Spain "back on the track." The Catholic Church in Spain has suffered a
serious drop in attendance, coupled with a serious drain in the priesthood.
It is estimated that nearly three quarters of all Spaniards no longer
attend mass on a regular basis.
Urbanization, prosperity (very evident in and around Madrid) and the desire
to be just like other modern European societies have all exacted their toll
upon the power of the Church. Coupled with this has been the impact of
Spain's new constitution, enacted in 1978, which stripped away the
privileged official role the Church had long enjoyed.
The Socialist program threatens to reduce the power of the Church still
further, similar to the manner in which the Socialist government in Greece
has challenged the privileged status of the Greek Orthodox Church.