• Religion They warn of "legal actions" against TV3 for its "mockery" of the Virgen del Rocío
  • Politics Juanma Moreno regrets TV3's parody of the Virgen del Rocío: "I've been 200 years without being able to throw a dust as God commands!"

The "legal actions" that several religious entities were considering against those responsible for the TV3 program 'Està passant' for mocking the Virgen del Rocío in the middle of Holy Week have crystallized. The Spanish Foundation of Christian Lawyers filed a complaint with the court of Barcelona against the presenters of the space, Toni Soler and Jair Domínguez, and the actress who characterized the virgin for a crime of scorn

The complaint, to which this media has had access, indicates that the actress, characterized as the Virgen del Rocío, "flirted with one of the directors of the program, even sending him a kiss and exclaiming "handsome!" and asking "are you with the traffic light green?" and "what about you? You who are more mature, but I do not disgust anything, eh?". In this way, he immediately said: "I'm hotter than the stick of a churrero".

"Some of the most offensive phrases uttered by Judit Martín, disguised as the Virgen del Rocío, was the following: "I have not been able to throw a dust as God commands for 200 years! Because while I take off my dress they have already taken away my desire", says the complaint that adds that the accused, in her role, "imitated the singing of a saeta and the samples of Christian devotion to the images that come out in procession. Meanwhile, the presenter Antoni Soler and his collaborator, Jair Domínguez, laughed with a beating jaw. The imitator complained about the costume of the Virgin, which she called "rococo" while by comparison she said that the Virgin of Montserrat was "minimalist".

The president of Christian Lawyers, Polonia Castellanos, said that "it is a new attack against religious feelings carried out completely free of charge and also at a very important time for Catholics such as Holy Week. We hope that it will have a consequence and that the Penal Code, the law of criminal procedure, and the people who violated Catholic sentiments in such a way during Holy Week will be condemned."

The complaint also points out the political storm that occurred after the issuance of this gag since the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, who said that "humor is one of the hallmarks of our land, but to have grace it is done with respect and affection. " In this sense, Moreno added that "it is a lack of respect for Andalusia, and thousands of Andalusians and their traditions. I hope that to ask for forgiveness they know how to do better."

In addition, the Hermandad Matriz de Almonte, where the Virgin is, announced that "it studies possible legal actions, leading to safeguard the right to honor violated, for a misuse of the right to freedom of expression" and sent "a letter of rejection and rejection" to the president of the Generalitat Pere Aragonès, and the Minister of Culture, Natalia Garriga, for "Las agravas gratuitos poudas" in the TV3 program. They consider the parody "in very bad taste of the devotion rociera and particularly of the Sacred Image, to which thousands of Catalans and Spaniards profess their devotion".

Complaints from Catalan bishops

Also the Episcopal Conference of Tarragona, which brings together all the bishops of the dioceses of Catalonia, showed its rejection of the parody of the Virgen del Rocío that aired the program 'Està passant' of TV3 because it believes that it does not respect beliefs, does not maintain religious neutrality and "exceeds the sense of humor". In a statement, the Episcopal Conference of Tarragona has expressed its rejection of this "gag-interview" dedicated to the Virgen del Rocío because they consider that "it hurts the sensitivity of many people and particularly that of all believers who, under this invocation of the Virgin Mary, keep their faith and their religious traditions. "

"Public television must respect all beliefs, maintaining the religious neutrality that corresponds to it and respecting the feelings of believers, not hurting with this type of gags that surpass the sense of humor and the dignity of faith of so many people," the bishops conclude. The first entity that asked TV3 for a public apology for the parody was the Federation of Andalusian Cultural Entities in Catalonia (FECAC) since it considered that the "mockery" of the Virgen del Rocío in "Està passant" was in "very bad taste" and "deserves the most energetic rejection".

The director of the program "Està passant" of TV3, Toni Soler, refused to apologize for the parody after being asked by the president of the Andalusian Board, Juana Moreno, to whom he replied through his twitter profile: "You can wait sitting" Soler also replied on Twitter to the FECAC writing: "And these people, how many statements have you made to ask for respect for the citizens of Catalonia and their rights?"

In the program, broadcast on April 4, appeared an actress dressed as the Virgen del Rocío with a baby doll in her arms simulating the baby Jesus, with its presenters, Toni Soler and Jair Domínguez, ironizing that the virgin does not go out of procession at Easter, in addition to making jokes with her sex life and her Andalusian accent.

  • Barcelona
  • Twitter
  • Generalitat of Catalonia
  • Pere Aragonès
  • Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla

According to The Trust Project criteria

Learn more