Vox, Church, immigration

Previously, the summer news stories revolved around Gibraltar and the umpteenth incursion by a Royal Navy patrol boat into Spanish waters. Today, those summer snakes have become dangerous cobras, carrying venom and even injecting it into a portion of the population. These reptiles move easily through social media, and extreme caution is required. Several people during a demonstration against xenophobia, July 19, 2025, in Madrid Jesús Hellín - Europa Press Can one be Catholic and attack immigration as Vox is doing? This is one of the key questions of the August 2025 debate. Santiago Abascal's party has toughened its discourse on a reality that its sister parties have long exploited in France, Italy, and Germany. Indeed, a recent poll already places the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in a position to overtake the CDU. The saying goes, when you see your neighbor's beard being cut... Faced with a lack of a strong response to Vox's radical discourse on immigration, the institution that has been most vocal in recent weeks is the Church. "A xenophobe cannot be a true Christian," warned Joan Planellas, Archbishop of Tarragona and president of the Tarragona Episcopal Conference, yesterday. Touché. Read also Vox rides the wave of discontent: the key is in their mobile phone Fernando H. Valls Vox's position, and Abascal's in particular, on migrants, is indeed absolutely contrary to Catholic doctrine, which welcomes and shelters those in need. It's striking that, in the midst of the party's offensive against immigrants, Abascal himself recently shared an image on social media showing him wearing two medals of the Virgin Mary and two crucifixes on a chain around his neck. There are curious ways of understanding Christianity. Before the Bishop of Tarragona, it was the Episcopal Conference that sought to remind everyone that the Constitution protects public religious acts. The bishops were forceful in their position on the Jumilla case, as was the priest of Valdepeñas a few days earlier, saying, "Seasonal workers should be paid overtime and discharged." The homily went viral. "A xenophobe cannot be a true Christian," warned the Archbishop of Tarragona, Joan Planellas, yesterday. In Torre-Pacheco, the fuse of an anti-immigration discourse was lit, resonating with a segment of the population. What's astonishing is how a councilor from Jumilla, who received only 800 votes, has been able to set one of the national discussion frameworks of these days. One key to the vote for Vox is that it's the party with the highest loyalty. Nine out of ten people who voted for Abascal's party in 2023 say they would do so again. Vox continues to grow, stealing votes from the party that rows ideologically closest to them, the PP, but also from those on the opposite side of the pond. Vox is beginning to make inroads into the middle and lower classes, as is the Catalan Alliance. There's a reason Abascal campaigned in the humble Madrid neighborhood of Vallecas. Everything is carefully thought out. They don't want them praying in the town's sports center, but they do want them working in the greenhouses in the countryside in 50 degrees. — Gabriel Rufián (@gabrielrufian) August 8, 2025 How to counter this rhetoric? No one, except the Church, has found the right solution so far. Explaining that without migrants, the Spanish economy would grind to a halt isn't enough. The left has a problem in this regard. The ERC spokesperson drew applause for posting, "They don't want them praying in the town's sports center, but they do want them working in greenhouses in the countryside in 50 degrees." But more than a message on social media is needed. Meanwhile, Vox continues to grow, riding the wave of discontent and preparing to continue influencing PP policies.