The far right attacks the Bishop of Mallorca for criticizing the lack of welcome given to migrants

PalmJorge Campos, a Vox deputy from the Balearic Islands, criticized the Bishop of Mallorca, Sebastià Taltavull, who denounced the lack of support for migrants arriving in the Balearic Islands, while the islands receive millions of tourists each year. "How can we compare one welcome to the other?" the bishop asked, also distinguishing between visitors who "generate economic benefits" and people who arrive out of necessity. "It has always disgusted me that there are Christians with this attitude that goes against the poorest and most needy," Taltavull criticized in an interview with the EFE news agency. "Every poor, needy person has more than enough reason to be welcomed from the very first moment," Taltavull continued, quoting the Gospel: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me." The bishop considers it a contradiction that no obstacles are placed in the way of the arrival of millions of tourists while 7,000 migrants arriving in boats are denied assistance.

The far-right deputy has attributed Taltavull's statements to the income the Church receives for assisting illegal immigration or to a quid pro quo agreement with the Spanish government regarding pedophilia cases. "Their silence regarding the rise of Islamism, gender policies, the right to life of the unborn, and most of the government's anti-Christian policies, contrasts sharply with this deplorable demagoguery. That is truly repugnant," Campos said on social media.

For his part, Taltavull criticized the Calvià City Council for refusing to open a house owned by the Diocese in the municipality, calling it an "un-Christian and inhumane" attitude. "To say that we cannot take in these people because they are criminals is to make a value judgment that does not reflect reality," he added.

Furthermore, the Bishop of Mallorca has rejected the instrumentalization of Christianity by certain political ideologies. "No party can claim ownership of a religious belief," he argued, warning that when this appropriation is taken to extremes, it can lead to situations like that of Iran, "with a theocratic government that, in the name of God, marginalizes and murders."

Taltavull has made statements about migrants on other occasions. At a press conference in October about her work with the homeless, she called on the public and politicians to put an end to anti-migrant rhetoric and unacceptable attitudes, such as the rejection and criminalization of people arriving by boat. "Calling them criminals is slander, a very serious accusation against people who have had to leave their homes," she said.