Simon Wade
A TORREVIEJA vicar has publicly asked that the next carnival cancels any characterisation of “The Virgin” for fear of offending people.
The vicar at the Church of the Immaculate, Pedro Payá, took to social media demanding that the City Council ban this weekend’s fiesta and slammed it as “irreverent.”
IMAGE: Claudia Loughran, Flickr
He considers the costumes worn “caricatured” the image of the Virgin, and questioned why the local council “use public money [to] offend the religious sentiments of citizens”.
However, Torrevieja’s Department of Fiestas, who finance the events, has defended the freedom of expression, quite befitting for carnival costumes.
However, the vicar blasted, “I don’t know what kind of fantasy they want to play.”
Continuing, “This is not a personal war, but I do think it is a cultural war. A cultural battle that Christians and all people have to fight because not everything goes.”
“Respect must be valued, and I think there are certain lines that cannot be exceeded,” he claimed.
Continuing, “It is a costume they knew would be talked about, and it has been done with premeditation and treachery.”
The Comparsa Osadía (“Daring Troupe”) recreates religious imagery centred on the figure of the Virgin, promoting competition between participants.
The parade climaxes in the Plaza de la Constitución before a jury, with music and dancing.
Understandably, it is one of the most popular processional marches of Holy Week .
The city’s Councillor for Fiestas, Concha Sala, told Informacion.es, “We respect the priest’s freedom of expression and we understand his statements, but we are not going to prohibit anything.”
Torrevieja has already injected 100,000 euros in logistics, lighting and performance contracts for the carnival.
Several troupes have also confirmed that although most of the organisational costs are covered by the council, they pay for the costumes and many other elements of the presentation.
The parade on Saturday February 26 starts at 7pm Plaza de María Asunción, Calle Ramón Gallud to the intersection with Calle Orihuela.
