Neither those married in a civil ceremony, nor those in a de facto relationship, nor political positions. This is the “sanitary cordon” that the Bishop of Orihuela-Alicante, José Ignacio Munilla, has imposed on those who aspire to be presidents of a Holy Week brotherhood in the diocese, one of the most populated in Spain. This is reflected in the decree extending the rules regarding brotherhoods and Holy Week brotherhoods, signed by Munilla at the end of July and reported by the Alicante newspaper Información.
The text literally includes among the incompatibilities for the presidents of the brotherhoods that “people who are in an irregular situation will not be able to occupy the positions of president and vice-president: trial marriage, free de facto unions, Catholics united by simple civil marriage and divorced Catholics who have civilly joined another person. But in addition, the red line is also established for those who have a political position – such as a simple councilor – or a political association.
The proposal has had the effect of a bomb in the brotherhoods, where many of their members have criticized this regulation. In this sense, critics point out that this is an area that is not covered by canon law and that, implicitly, people such as married homosexuals have the right to a veto, since they cannot formalize their union through the Catholic Church.
On the other hand, these representatives warn that these rules do not apply to the rest of the brothers, a thorny issue that they highlight is that if it were extended to the entire brotherhood, it could be emptied of its members.
Munilla has also been criticized for seeking greater control over brotherhoods and confraternities through the “consiliario,” a figure who will be “freely appointed by the bishop” and who will have the right of veto “in matters affecting public worship, the parish and matters of faith and customs.”
ElDiario.es contacted the bishopric and did not receive a response.
