Spanish priest of RCC faces three years in prison for criticizing Islam

Custodio Ballester. Photo: tribunechretienne

In the Spanish city of Malaga, a trial has begun for the Catholic priest Custodio Ballester, who faces three years in prison for publishing an article criticizing Islam.

This priest from Barcelona is accused of a hate crime against Islam, following an article he published on December 28, 2016 under the title The Impossible Dialogue with Islam. The prosecution, following the complaint of the association Muslims Against Islamophobia, is requesting a three-year prison sentence.

In the controversial text, Father Ballester argued against a pastoral letter from the the Archbishop of Barcelona, ​​Cardinal Juan José Omella, who called for a "necessary dialogue with Islam".

"It is one thing that we do not despise people for what they believe and think and that we do not persecute them for it, and quite another that we must put our faith into hibernation so that it does not clash with the progressive dogma and ideology that has declared war on our faith. With the very serious drawback that it has also declared war on people," wrote the priest. He added: "In countries where Muslims hold power, Christians are brutally persecuted and murdered. What dialogue are we talking about?"

Father Ballester's defense accuses the Spanish justice system of double standards. In a letter to prosecutor Maria Teresa Verdugo, the priest wrote: "The problem is that you, the hate prosecutors, by giving voice and credence to the complaints of these radical associations, have created a climate of terror that strengthens this type of character. Because the action of the hate prosecutor's office has always been very selective: maximum punishment for critics of Islam and absolution or indulgence for offenses against Christianity."

The case draws parallels with Pope Benedict XVI's speech in Regensburg in 2006, when the pontiff, quoting Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos on the connection between faith and violence, provoked a strong reaction in the Muslim world.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that, according to the UK Justice Minister, sharia courts align with British values.

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