Spain: Priest goes to jail for criticizing Islam

Priest Custodio Ballester of Barcelona was found guilty and threatened with jail time for informing that “Islam does not let dialogue” with Christianity. The judgement given on the priest afraid both Catholics and unreligious defenders of freedom of speech.

Spain, ruled by the far left, again haunts priests who tell the truth. Priest Custodio Ballester was prosecuted by the D.A. and regional court in connection with allegations of “hate speech” for pointing out the unfair treatment of Christians in countries where the majority are Muslims.

Ballester, serving as a parish priest in Barcelona, was accused of violating Spanish law in 2020 erstwhile the State Prosecutor in Catalonia stated that the article written by him in 2016, titled “An Impossible dialog with Islam” meets the criteria of “a hatred speech”.

Ballester He wrote his essay. in consequence to a shepherd's letter from his superior archbishop, Archbishop of Barcelona, Cardinal Juan José Omelli, entitled “A Needed dialog with Islam”. In his reply, the priest wrote: “This fresh reactivation of the Christian-Muslim dialogue, paralyzed by alleged “indiscreetness” by the late Pope Benedict XVI, is far from being realized. Islam does not let dialogue. In Islam, either you believe or you are unfaithful, which must be tamed 1 way or another.”

Ballester He said agency Catholic News Agency that his statements “They have never been discriminatory or hateful”. He besides added: “They want to usage me as an example so that others start censoring themselves.” Earlier, the priest spoke critically about the Sodomite ideology.

Violation of Spanish law on alleged "hate crimes" involves punishment from 1 to 4 years of absolute imprisonment, as well as additional financial penalties. Ballester claims that after proceeding the penalty, he will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

At the time of the judgment, respective twelve priest supporters gathered in front of the court building. The law firm Abogados Cristiano collected nearly 30,000 signatures under a petition supporting his innocence. – People are very angry due to besides harsh convictions for “hate crimes”, comparable to sexual assault sentences or severe wellness damage. said Ballester to the CNA press agency.

When asked before if he was willing to spend, for example, 3 years in prison if convicted, Ballester replied: – I don't think it's right to be convicted of something I said, but in Spain, anything is possible. If I am convicted, it will no longer be Spain, but Pakistan, where 1 can be killed for blasphemy against the Koran or Muhammad. There is no real right to freedom of speech in Spain anymore.

The conviction against the priest is not only courteous due to the violation of freedom of speech, but primarily based on lying. Under Sharia law, Christians and Jews who refuse to control to Islam are not considered to be full-fledged citizens, but semi-slaves called “dhimmi” who gotta pay a peculiar taxation called “jazja”. From the “Word Watch List” list of OpenDoors resultthat most of the 50 countries where Christians are most persecuted are muslim states.

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