For almost a month, Spanish Catholics have prayed the Rosary in Madrid and elsewhere.
The public Rosaries began as part of wider public gatherings related to the wider unrest.
Catholic Arena spoke with organiser Jose Andres Calderon to find out more about the event ahead of a national Rosary this coming Friday.
CA: How did you come up with the idea for the Rosary?
JAC: It arose spontaneously, like almost everything that is happening in the National November (this is the name of the movement that has been meeting in Ferraz every afternoon since November 3). On Sunday the 12th I received a message through X Corp (formerly Twitter) offering me to start praying the Holy Rosary in Ferraz. I could not refuse as there are moments when one is aware that God is calling him. I had to be present in Ferraz. As a corollary, we decided at 19:20 to take a megaphone, among hundreds of demonstrators, with our backs to the Sanctuary of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (74 Ferraz Street) and tell them that we would proceed to pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Throughout the first week of protests, we observed that flags of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and chants such as "Spain Christian and not Muslim" were more and more frequent. In fact, the National November flag is two "N's" and a Cross in between. There was a spiritual longing and the Rosary is undoubtedly the best way to satiate it.
CA: How was it received by protestors, were they all supportive?
JAC: At the beginning, there was a group of people who complained because they believed that prayers should be held elsewhere. We, on the other hand, insist that every political battle must be accompanied by a religious substratum. Otherwise, it would fall on deaf ears.
CA: Has any political figure spoken out either in support of or opposition to the Rosary?
JAC: Juan García-Gallardo (Vice President of Castilla y León), Jorge Buxadé (head of the VOX delegation in Europe) and Alberto Tarradas (VOX deputy in the Parliament of Catalonia) have shown me their support. Maybe there is some other politician, but I do not know.
CA: Is the church supportive of your work?
JAC: The Church as an institution has maintained, for the moment, silence. The priest of the Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary asked us to leave the church steps and go to another corner. Fortunately, there are other priests, in a private capacity, who support us.
CA: What do you hope for the Rosary in the coming days?
JAC: I only hope that we can pray. If they prevent us, we will continue to pray, assuming all the consequences of our actions. No one, no matter how much power they have, will be able to stop us. Hopefully more and more people will come. Only time will tell.
A national Rosary will take place this coming Friday. Find details HERE.
