Dozens of Spanish social organizations participated in a so-called lay march to protest the high cost of Pope Benedict XVI”s visit to Madrid for World Youth Day at a time of drastic budget cuts and economic hardship in the country.

Demonstrators filled downtown Madrid one day before the Pope arrives to take part in World Youth Day in Spain, which as of Tuesday had attracted close to one million pilgrims from around the world.

Nothing for the Pope from my taxes

Lay associations, social organizations, trade unions, and left-wing political parties expressed opposition to the Pope’s visit being financed with public funds. Thousands of protesters marched in Madrid on Wednesday evening against the cost of the Pope’s visit to Spain this week at a time of growing public anxiety and drastic budget cuts and economic hardship in the country. Protesters of all ages, but majority of them being young people, walked in the old city centre under the slogan ‘Nothing for the Pope from my taxes’, as hundreds of thousands of young people gather in the capital of the mainly Catholic country of Spain to celebrate World Youth Day this weekend.

Spain tax payers : ‘Your Pope is a Nazi’

“None of my taxes for the Pope” and “For a lay state” were two of the main slogans of the protest, in which the “Outraged” or 15-M social movement will also participate. Pilgrims and protestors exchanged shouts when they were separated by the police cordon. “Your Pope is a Nazi,” chanted some protesters, as young Catholics replied “Benedict, Benedict.” Subsequently, the cordon was relaxed and pilgrims and protesters got into discussions – some heated – while some young Catholics knelt to pray, to the amazement of the protesters.

In Diego de Ordas square, 15-M activists collected signatures for a petition against the visit, which stated that 50 to 60 million euros would be spent for the event, an amount similiar to cuts made in education spending.

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“We are not against the people celebrating the Pope’s visit, but we don’t agree that we have to pay without anyone asking us,” said 20-year old Nora. Others were more critical stated the Catholic Church had too much power and held banners such as ‘Papa don’t Preach’.

 

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