During
the summer of 2011 I had the distinct privilege of being an ad hoc tour guide
and chaperone for a high school youth group attending World Youth Day in
Madrid. This is an event that was held
from August 16th
–21st for Catholics around the world
to come together for a week of citywide activities with the culmination of an
overnight vigil with the Pope.
Although
Spain was once a Catholic nation, it is no longer. After the Spanish Civil War
the country became divided in to those that prefer secularism or atheism and
those that practice a religion. There was
an intense sense of derision and judgment from some of the locals toward the
Pilgrims. Participants of the event are referred to in this way since this is
essentially considered a Pilgrimage.
A precursor to the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United
States was occurring in the form Spanish protesters occupying city squares in protest against the government’s questionable spending and budget
cuts. Therefore, knowing WYD would be hosted by
the state, they believed their taxes were being utilized for the event and
taken away form those in need.
Realizing
that there could be violent riots the government compromised by allowing
scheduled protests in clearly established areas with the added bonus of police
protection forming barriers between “us” and “them”. Who falls in to each
category depends on which side is speaking.
There was even a scheduled march against WYD with effigies of the Pope
created comparing him to Satan. WYD
organizers knowing this was occurring did not prepare participants.
* Image was found through this website's article on the aforementioned issues during the World Youth Day Events of 2011: http://www.intereconomia.com/noticias-gaceta/sociedad/sociedad/marcha-antipapa-increpa-e-insulta-los-peregrinos-jmj-20110817
No comments:
Post a Comment