(Note: I could not find a link to the original English text of this appeal. This is a translation of translation so there may be some discrepancies.)
To all Christians in the world and to all people of good will:
The history of Christianity is the history of persecution, from Diocletian, through the French Revolution, Cristero War in Mexico, communist regimes to the present times, when our brothers in faith suffer persecution in many Muslim countries.
Spain - "the land of Mary", as said St. John Paul II - was Christian since the arrival of the apostle James to the Iberian Peninsula in the first century AD. Spain has always led the defense of Christianity, first for eight centuries against the Muslim empire, then against the Turks, and finally against numerous heresies, both medieval and modern. However, Spain was primarily an evangelizer of the world from the Philippines to Tierra del Fuego. Spain, being the cradle of martyrs and saints, cannot be understood without faith in Christ, nor can all of Europe.
It was in Spain, less than a hundred years ago, between 1934 and 1939, that Christians experienced one of the greatest and bloodiest persecutions in world history at the hands of a gloomy coalition of socialists, communists and anarchists known as the "People's Front." It took the lives of over 8,000 monks and several thousand lay people brutally murdered solely for their faith. This includes the enormity of the destruction, looting and burning of a large part of places of worship and all kinds of religious institutions. The memory of these events was like a wound the Spaniards took a long time to heal. However, thanks to a most commendable reconciliation effort, this was achieved a few decades ago.
As a symbol of this reconciliation, a tribute to all the victims from both sides who died suffering the consequences of a fratricidal war, and in memory of these dramatic events, in 1958 an impressive monumental complex was completed near Madrid. The Valley of the Fallen is thus "a symbol of the unity and brotherhood of all Spaniards," in which more than 30,000 people who died in the Civil War, winners and losers alike, received a Catholic funeral. The architectural complex also houses the papal basilica, the Benedictine abbey, an important center for the study of the social science of the Church, and the GREATEST CROSS OF CHRISTIANITY towering above all.
Since its opening, the Valley of the Fallen is at the same time a huge cemetery, an impressive Catholic temple, and above all a place of remembrance, reconciliation and a warning against what should never be repeated.
Hence we wish to inform the whole Christian world:
The socialist-communist and secessionist government of Spain presented the parliament with a bill aimed at redefining the entire Valley of the Fallen, distorting the meaning of its existence, expelling the Benedictine community and in this case the final destruction of the Cross, which has long been demanded by Prime Minister Sanchez's communist associates. Indeed, Deputy Prime Minister Calvo, in her recent statements to the media, did not withdraw from the announcement that this plan to overthrow the cross would be "subject to reflection".
The powerlessness and helplessness we feel, we Spanish Catholics, make us ask and appeal to all our brothers in Christ all over the world, regardless of their nationality, to help us in prayer and in all necessary media activities to prevent planned sacrilege.
The appeal comes from our commitment to the truth (which will set us free), from our conviction of justice (as the highest form of human knowledge), and from our respect for history and culture. We are convinced that only because of great ignorance or hatred can we despise the heritage of the generations that preceded us. The disrespect, the erasure of a party of history, the distortion are typical of barbarians, and in this case indicate the unwavering audacity of Marxist indoctrinating thought.
We are Christians, people of faith, humility and love, therefore we cannot allow the destruction of our millennium civilization - the cradle of dignity and humanity's progress. LET'S JOIN FORCES! And let everyone pay attention to indifferent people, and we can all beg God for help. One day a revival will come and God will see that we have fulfilled his commandments and our duties.
The demolition of the monumental Cross of the Valley of the Fallen is not only a barbaric attack on one of the inherited, great cultural treasures, but above all an attack on the foundations on which Europe was built and a step back several decades in the defense of fundamental freedoms.
THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEFENSE OF THE CROSS OF THE VALLEY OF THE DEAD CALLS FOR YOU, THE BROTHERS IN FAITH FOR HELP AND SUPPORT TO PREVENT THE DESTRUCTION OF THE GREATEST CROSS IN THE WORLD.
