A Catholic priest in Spain is facing jail time after he was found guilty of making comments deemed “Islamophobic.”
Father Custodio Ballester faces a three-year prison sentence and fines for answering a question posed by Cardinal Juan José Omella in 2016 about an interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims.
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“This renewed revival of Christian-Muslim dialogue, paralyzed by the alleged ‘imprudence’ of the beloved Benedict XVI, is far from a reality. Islam does not allow for dialogue. You either believe or you are an infidel who must be subdued one way or another,” Ballester wrote in a letter at the time.
In a 2017 YouTube video, Ballester expanded on his 2016 remarks, warning that Islam not only poses a threat in Europe, but also that in many Muslim-majority countries, Christians face persecution.
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The Association of Spanish Muslims Against Islamophobia, responding to Ballester’s public remarks, filed a complaint that prompted charges against the Catholic priest.
Ballester, fellow priest Fr Jesús Calvo, and journalist Armando Robles were charged under Spain’s hate-speech law, The Catholic Herald reports.
Ballester told the Catholic News Agency prior to his court appearance that his words were not hate speech or discriminatory, and the outcome would determine “the survival of freedom of expression in today’s Spain.”
“Otherwise, we’ll be headed toward a new Cuban dictatorship. One where you were arrested for what you said as well as for what you thought, if it differed from what Fidel Castro decided,” he explained.
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On October 1, the Provincial Court of Málaga held a trial, dedicating several hours to examining the complaints against Ballester.
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