Spain Initiates Campaign Against Vatican-State Concordat Agreements whereby it Receives 6.5 Billion Euros Yearly

The Socialist Youth in Spain initiates Campaign Against the Catholic Church

The Socialists insist the Catholic Church receives 6.5 billion euros from the State yearly and claim that with this money there would be no cuts.

Socialist Youth of Spain (In Spanish: Juventudes Socialistas de España (JSE)) has just announced that it will launch a campaign that seeks to claim a new framework for relations between the State and the Catholic Church ("The Vatican") and the 6.5 billion euros that Spain automatically gives to the Catholic Church yearly, all intended "to avoid cuts" that the State is experiencing as a result.

We invite our readers to investigate the CONCORDAT agreement between your nation and the Catholic Church since the Vatican has these agreements with over 175 countries, receiving astronomical amounts of money and other privileges that the majority of the general public is unaware of. For example, you can see how much Italy gives to the Vatican yearly by visiting: http://jh.to/contributions

As for Spain, people are awakening to these concordat agreements and raising their voice against them, prompting groups like the Socialist Youth of Spain to speak out. The general secretary of Socialist Youth, Nino Torre, has unveiled the abovestated campaign during his participation in the Federal Council of Socialist Youth of Spain, held today in Santander. 

In this Federal Council, it approved a resolution, calling upon the need for a new framework of relations between Spain and the Vatican State (which is otherwise known as the "Catholic Church"). 

JSE will bring this resolution to the PSOE, with the confidence that the party's assume "as their own", but if it does not promote a petition ahead of the processing as Popular Legislative Initiative (ILP). And also, to spread this positioning, the campaign starts #nuevoPAPAnuevasNORMAS ", (Spanish for #NewPopeNewNorms) mainly through social networking. 

Torre points out that this campaign is not an "attack" to the Catholic Church, because Socialist Youth of Spain "respect all beliefs." But states that this organization wants to adopt new agreements that are based on the autonomy and financial sufficiency of the Catholic Church in Spain, and a new framework for relations based policies with state separation. 

Tower has considered "intolerable" the fact that in 2012 the Catholic Church has received more than 6.5 billion euros, not only money but also tax exemptions. In making the calculation, JSE includes tax allocation of the State Budget, other budget allocations, concerts and educational subsidies, salaries of teachers of religion, "direct care", the items for chaplains of public institutions, IBI exemptions, and NGO aid "related to the Catholic Church." 

Now, compare the 6.5 billion euros -that would come from these concepts- to that of the "cuts" of the 2012 State Budget in education, university education, dependency, health, culture, which is 3.22 Billion euros. 

With this data, JSE concludes that if "only half of that money was given to the Church, those cuts would have not been made​​," adding that, for example, with the other half of these resources "could have meant the Quad year to youth employment policies." 

But also JSE asks to eliminate this "privilege" that, in his opinion, has allowed the Spanish bishops' public property register as belonging to the Church. 

Another of their demands is that tax exemptions be taken away from the Catholic Church, especially that of Property Tax (IBI). It also requires the removal of civil effects of canonical marriage, so that the civilian is the only valid type for the state, and to take away religion teachers in public schools. 

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