Holy police merit medal, Batman!

In the news this week there was a story that perfectly illustrates how interesting a place Spain can be at times… in a bonkers kind-of-way.

Spain’s Audencia Nacional (National Court), a high Spanish court that usually tries cases of terrorism, corruption, money laundering, organized crime, genocide and other serious matters, will decide whether the recent awarding of the National Police’s highest award, la medalla de oro al mérito policial (the Police Gold Order of Merit) to a certain recipient will stand or need to be withdrawn.

La medalla de oro al mérito policial. 
By Heralder [CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 
or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons] 

Not so bonkers so far, although perhaps a little odd that such an important court has been charged with the decision.

The case is before this court because a complaint was made by two secularist organisations against the awarding of the medal to the particular recipient, and the State Attorney, representing the government (it is the Minister of the Interior decides Police awards) refused to answer it.

Getting interesting, but still not bonkers yet.

So why is the award being questioned by the secularists? Well, the recipient is Nuestra Señora María Santísima del Amor (Our Lady Mary Most Holy of Love). A religious statue.

There you go. Bonkers.

According to the police and the Ministery, the Virgen (Virgin Mary) was awarded the medal because she shares with them values like dedication, alertness, solidarity and sacrifice.

In all fairness, the award is also for the cofradía (brotherhood) who looks after Nuestra Señora María Santísima del Amor and arranges her processions during the Semana Santa (Holy Week): La Real Excelentísima, Muy Ilustre y Venerable Cofradía de Culto y Procesión de NuestroPadre Jesús 'El Rico' y María Santísima del Amor  (The Royal, Highly Excellent, Very Illustrious and Venerable Brotherhood of Worship and Procession of Our Father Jesus “The Rich” and Our Lady Mary Most Holy of Love).

But it is she who is named as the actual recipient of the award.

Nuestra Señora María Santísima del Amor. Yes, she's a statue

To me, an extranjero from a predominately Anglican country, it does seem rather bonkers that in the 21^st the government would award such a high Police honour (or any honour for that matter) to a statue – religious or not.  But for some here, it moves beyond bonkers and towards the realms of the scary.

To start with the Interior Minister, Jorge Fernandez Diaz, is a man well known for his devout Catholic faith (he is a member of the powerful Catholic sect Opus Dei) and so here could be accused of allowing those beliefs to sway his Ministerial decision-making.

But it’s more that it could be seen as a further example of how Spain’s current government has seemingly been bringing Catholicism back to the fore in the two years it has been in power.

As part of the its education reforms, religious (Catholic) studies have been brought back to state schools as a subject creditable to a students final grades and the Bishops have been given full control over the syllabus and even selection of teachers (even though those teachers are still paid for by the state). Also, the government’s planned reform to the abortion law will turn what is now a free choice for all women up to 14 weeks of pregnancy to an option that is more restricted than it was 30 years ago; something many see as both the Justice Minister forcing his religious views (he’s another very religious man) onto everyone else and also as a pay-back to the Bishops for their support of the political party of the now government during the last elections.

Whether this is the Church clawing back some of the power it wielded so widely in Spain just 40 years ago, with the help of its political allies now in government, or just a very conservative government doing their very conservative best (with a few Ministers bonkers for their faith), will depend on who you speak to.

Regardless, on June 11, Nuestra Señora María Santísima del Amor will have her day in one of the most powerful courts in the land, to find out whether she gets to keep her Police Gold Order of Merit medal after all.