Catholic Church steals public property

Using a law decreed by the Fascist government in 1946 and relaunched by the neofascist rule of J.M. Aznar in 1998, the Catholic Church has consigned as their own 1086 public properties in Navarre, including: 650 parochial churches, 191 hermitages, 9 basilicas, 42 homes, 26 commercial lounges and stores, 2 atriums, 8 cemeteries, 107 unbuilt real state, 38 pastures and prairies, 12 vineyards, olive orchards, forests and even a fronton (to play Basque pilota, a popular sport).

The original fascist law allowed the Church to appropriate consign property to their name without any need of notary, being an exception temples. The reform by the conservatives, very much penetrated by the Opus Dei and other far-right Catholic organizations, removed this exception.

117 town halls and councils have gathered in the Platform for the Defense of the Navarrese Patrimony and have denounced this law and the Church's actions as unconstitutional. They have tried to bring their complaints to the Navarrese Parliament but have been ignored.

Examples of the real ownership of these temples are the St. Saturnine church of Artajona, that had been repaired by the Navarrese government, spending three million euros, and the Basilica of El Romero in Cascante, paid and reformed by the town hall.

Source: Nabarralde.