Spanish Prosecutor drops investigation into Bishop Munilla over comments on conversion therapy ban
The Madrid Provincial Prosecutor’s Office closed the investigation into Bishop José Ignacio Munilla, which had been initiated following a complaint alleging hate speech in a radio programme related to statements on conversion therapy practices.
On 27 January, the Madrid Provincial Prosecutor’s Office closed and archived the preliminary investigation opened against Bishop José Ignacio Munilla of Orihuela-Alicante, following a complaint filed by the civic platform Tu pueblo y el mío over alleged "hate speech" related to public statements on so-called conversion therapies (OIDAC reported). The investigation had been initiated after remarks made by the bishop during a radio interview on Radio María in which he discussed pastoral accompaniment of individuals with homosexual orientation and criticised legislative restrictions on conversion therapy practices. “Psychologists are threatened if they accompany people with homosexual inclinations when that accompaniment has any hint of helping their homosexual attractions be redirected,” the Bishop had warned.
The complaint alleged that his statements could constitute a hate crime; however, the Public Prosecutor concluded that the threshold for criminal conduct was not met and therefore decided to dismiss the case without further action.
Following the decision, Bishop Munilla publicly welcomed the ruling on social media, stating that the complaint “had no legal basis” and arguing that it had been intended to “intimidate the Church” and discourage the promotion of what he described as a Christian understanding of marriage and sexuality. He further criticised what he termed an attempt to impose a “state anthropology” based on “gender-LGBT ideology,” and reaffirmed that the Church’s mission includes providing spiritual guidance in accordance with its doctrine.
Source: ElDebate / ReligionDigital / ElPais
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