His Majesty the King of Spain, Philip VI, on Monday, June 15, 2020, telephoned the President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference and Archbishop of Barcelona, Cardinal Juan Jose Omella, reported the Spanish Church in a press release.
In the course of the conversation, held on Wednesday, June 10, 2020, the King expressed his “condolences for the priests who died during this pandemic and asked about the health of the Bishops and priests infected and about the ecclesial situation in this difficult situation,” stated the Episcopal Conference’s Press Office.
Second Meeting with the Church
This was the second public meeting of the Spanish Royal Family with the Church, prompted by the coronavirus crisis. The first meeting of King Philip and Queen Letizia with the Church took place last March 27, in a video-conference that included leaders of Caritas: its President, Manuel Breton; its General Secretary, Natalia Peiro; and the Director of Caritas-Madrid, Luis Hernandez Vozmediano.
The King also thanked the Church for her service to Spanish society at this time, made visible by her activities through reception centers and soup kitchens, as well as aid by other Associations and NGOs linked to the Church, such as Caritas and Manos Unidas.
Last Friday, June 5, the Spanish Episcopate presented the Catholic Church’s Annual Activity Report for the year 2018, which pointed out that the Church in Spain has 9,119 social and healthcare centers, which attended 4,095,346 people that year.
