The controversy that sparked the appearance of a comedian dressed as Virgen del Rocío on a Catalan public TV show continues. Criticism of TV3 for alleged “Andalozuphobia” has not escalated, and the President of the Federation of Andalusian Cultural Institutions in Catalonia (Fecac), Daniel Salinero, has asked the Audiovisual Council of Catalonia (CAC) and TV3 “to restore honor to the Virgen del Rocio”. The Archbishop of Urgell, Joan-Enric Vives Sicilia, has published a message in which he says he deeply regrets that a parody of the Virgen del Rocío is allowed on public television, “because of what this means for Andalusians and also for many Catalans means; a grotesque element of humor that offends religious feelings”. Toni Soler and Jair Domínguez, presenters of the show that aired the parody, replied that they had no intention of apologizing. “Not a day without an offended fool,” Domínguez wrote in response to a comment from Junta de Andalucía leader Juanma Moreno, who described the joke as a “lack of respect for Andalusia and thousands of Andalusians and their traditions.”
In a statement collected by Europa Press, Fecac called for a public apology for the joke, which they described as a mockery of “very bad taste and in the form of a parody worthy of the strongest rejection”. They claim that Catalan public television does not respect religious beliefs and that it has ceased to be a television complicit with the singularities that exist in Catalonia: “Nostra is long gone,” the text says. For a long time, TV3 presented its advertising campaigns with the term “la Nostra” (Ours) to try to justify its emotional connection with the citizens of Catalonia.
The Andalusian government plans to file a formal complaint. The Minister of Presidency, Interior, Social Dialogue and Administrative Simplification, Antonio Sanz, has announced that Radio Televisión de Andalucía (RTVA) will file a formal complaint with the Federation of Autonomous Radio and Television Organizations (Forta) before broadcasting images satirical program Està passant . In a note to the media ahead of the bullfighting proclamation this Easter Sunday in Seville, Sanz indicated that this formal complaint was intended to “demand action to prevent this type of unreportable attack.” The general coordinator of the Popular Party (PP), Elías Bendodo, has called on “the PSOE-backed Esquerra government” to apologize for the images. The President of the PP pointed out that “As a public service television supported by the Generalitat government, Esquerra and the PSOE must express their opinion on this issue and apologize to all Andalusians”.
Catalan Enric Millo, who works as the Junta de Andalucía’s secretary-general for foreign affairs, has also attacked TV3: “Humor and satire are healthy when used intelligently, but making fun of religious beliefs and cultural traditions only fits in the usual heads of tyrants and unscrupulous arrogants”.
The appearance of the controversial costume of the Virgin in Està passant, complemented by a series of jokes of a sexual nature, took place on Tuesday, but the controversy was uncovered in the middle of Easter. The Archbishop of Urgell has stressed that broadcasting such content has “no possible justification”. He considers it humor that “hurts the feelings of Catholics and all people with religious sensibilities”. The Bishop of Huelva, Santiago Gómez, was the first to react, stating that freedom of expression “cannot offend against religious beliefs, nor can it offend Catholics in Rociero”. The bishop believes that “criticism and mockery of Catholics show a lack of human sensitivity and can lead to unwanted provocations”.
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