Spain: The Bishop and the Global Conspiracy Against Humanity · Global Voices
Lourdes Sada

[All links lead to Spanish language pages]
José Antonio Reig Pla, bishop of the Spanish city of Alcalá de Henares (province of Madrid), has uncovered an «international conspiracy to decrease the population,» which most likely involves the participation of governments, universities, NGOs, political parties and labor unions, as well as the United Nations, UNESCO and the European Parliament.
The bishop is referring to abortion. In his own words, as reported by Europapress:
Monsignor Reig Pla, during his homily on Good Friday 2012. Photo from the website Espíritu Gay.
Lo dice el Papa Juan Pablo II en la Evangelium Vitae, [existe un proyecto] científicamente pensado y técnicamente muy estructurado, de manera que están haciendo que no aumente la población, porque ese es el gran proyecto de todo ese complejo internacional (…)
Hay grandes poderosos que financian estos proyectos. Es una batalla que están librando con muchos dólares y muchas ONG que sirven a grandes grupos internacionales que están frenando la población en África o Asia.
As Pope John Paul II states in the Evangelium Vitae, [there is a plan in place], scientifically thought out and quite structured in a technical sense, which is designed to prevent increases in the population; in fact, this is the program of the entire international conglomerate (…)
There are great and powerful people financing these plans. They are waging their war armed with huge sums of cash and with the backing of NGOs that serve the interests of huge international groups, who in turn are working to curb population growth in Africa or Asia.
Word of this spread quickly on social networking sites, where Monsignor Reig Pla is a familiar presence, as he has never had a problem making his anti-gay and anti-abortion views public using any platform, including his own pulpit.
Two distinguished tweeters who have commented on the bishop's remarks are writer Arturo Pérez-Reverte and former president of the Community of Cantabria, Miguel Ángel Revilla
@perezreverte: Lo del obispo Reig es para tenerlo en cuenta. No por lo que dice, que también, y mucho, sino por la impunidad y desvergüenza con que lo dice.
@perezreverte: Bishop Reig has to be taken seriously. Not because of what he says (even though that, too, is cause for great concern), but because he is able to say it so shamelessly and with such impunity.
@RevillaMiguelA: Obispo de Alcalá: “Hay una conspiración mundial para que no nazcan niños”. Sólo somos 7.000 millones y eso que presuntamente él no ejerce
@RevillaMiguelA: Bishop of Alcalá: “There is a global conspiracy to keep babies from being born.”  There are only 7 billion of us, and he is (supposedly) not doing anything to keep the world's population up…
José Antonio Reig Pla became known to the general public last year when state-owned TV station La 2 broadcast Good Friday services from his diocese. The bishop seized the opportunity to make claims like this one during his homily:
(…) aquellas personas que hoy llevados por tantas ideologías acaban por no orientar bien lo que es la sexualidad humana, piensan ya desde niños que tienen atracción hacia las personas de su mismo sexo. Y a veces para comprobarlo se corrompen y se prostituyen… o van a clubs de hombres nocturnos. Os aseguro que encuentran el infierno.
(…) those people today who are led astray by so many different ideologies, and who ultimately do not have a grasp on the essence of human sexuality, have believed since they were children that they are attracted to others of their own sex. And sometimes, to test this notion for themselves, they become corrupt and they prostitute themselves … or they frequent all-male night clubs. I assure you that they are living in hell.
According to  Cáscara Amarga, a digital LGBT newspaper,
Reig Pla, as he is portrayed by the ultra-Catholic website HazteOir.org. This image from the site's Facebook page.
Reig Pla tiene verdadera fijación con el colectivo LGTB. Hace sólo unos meses, y coincidiendo con la celebración del Orgullo Gay en Madrid, presentó una guía para curar la homosexualidad. Bajo el epígrafe ´Homosexualidad y esperanza´, la página web del obispado de Alcalá de Henares señalaba que «la comprensión e identificación de la orientación sexual de una persona puede cambiar en el transcurso de la vida; es posible la esperanza. Así pues, si alguna persona desea un cambio o evolución, o quiere formarse sobre este tema, desde el respeto a todos, informamos de los siguientes textos y recursos».
Reig Pla has a real fixation with the LGTB community. Just a few months ago, at the same time as Madrid's Gay Pride Celebration, he released a guidebook for curing homosexuality. Under the title ´Homosexuality and hope´, the web page of the diocese of Alcalá de Henares pointed out that «our understanding of and identification with our sexual orientation can change over the course of a lifetime; hope is possible. Therefore, if any person desires change or growth, or wishes to become educated about this subject, we will, from a position of respect for all, give you more information about the following texts and resources».
The Monsignor has been quite busy of late. On the 10th, during a presentation at the «International Conference for Life», he had this to say about the statements he made a year ago:
Los niños «se plantean por ciertas ideologías que han sido introducidas en el ámbito de la enseñanza su propia condición y orientación de su sexualidad», (…) hace un año hablaba de «hechos conocidos» por él. «Hablaba de niños que llevados por una ideología pueden dudar de su condición e identidad sexual y que a veces puede llevar a que uno pruebe si es de una manera o de otra» (…) «probando», los chicos pueden «llegar incluso a prostituirse»
Children «are influenced by certain ideologies that have been introduced to them, in the spirit of instruction, regarding their own sexual condition and orientation», (…) a year ago he spoke of issues «well known» to him. «I was talking about those children who, carried forward by an ideology, may come to doubt their sexual condition and identity, which may sometimes lead to experimentation in order to prove whether they are one way or another» (…) during this «experimentation» phase, young men and women can «even fall into prostitution».
To which Placentino y Guajina responded on ABC.es:
Vaya payasada. Así no me extraña que se le vaya la clientela. Sobre todo teniendo en cuenta que dentro de la iglesia la pederastia está a la orden del día.
What utter nonsense. I'm not surprised that he's losing his following, especially when you consider that pedophilia is the order of the day inside the Church.
???!!! Eso no se lo cree ni él. Anda que no han salido incluso sacerdotes del sacerdocio y del armario. Y no será porque no tuvieron una educación más que dirigida en su infancia.
???!!! Not even he believes that. Look at the priests who still haven't come out of the priesthood or the closet. And it isn't because they didn't have an “education” beyond what they were taught as children.
At the same event, he also spoke about abortion:
Es una batalla tan larga como la que pretendía abolir la esclavitud (…) [que no se hará] sin sufrimiento [como] en el parto de un hijo.
This battle is as protracted as the battle to end slavery was (…) [it can't be won] without suffering [as in] the pangs of childbirth.
Cartes commented on this news on 20minutos.es:
el problema del obispo no es que esté manteniendo una postura en contra del aborto (que es legítima) es que no quiere que nadie aborte, es decir, quiere atentar contra las libertades de otros (y eso ya no es legítimo).
the bishop's problem is not that he maintains an opinion against abortion (which is legitimate), it's that he doesn't want anyone to have access to abortion, that is to say, he wants to infringe upon the freedoms of others (which is in no way legitimate).
«I do not have sex» (on the wall) «Can't think about anything else, can you?». Image from the feminist website nosotrasdecidimos.org
And the Monsignor's anti-gay crusade is nothing new. Back in 2007, the website «Dejar de Ser Gay… es posible» published his interview with the weekly publication Alba, in which he explained what he calls «gender ideology». The bishop's predilection for conspiracy theories becomes clear when among the elements that make «the gay phenomenon» we find:
La teología gay, que es la extensión del lobby gay, infiltrado en todas las confesiones cristianas y en la Iglesia Católica. Sus representantes han elaborado sistemáticamente un cuerpo doctrinal absolutamente herético. Esta teología intenta seducir a algunos, dividir a los católicos y desprestigiar a los pastores difundiendo estas ideas en los medios de comunicación.
Gay theology, an extension of the gay lobby, has crept into all of the Christian confessions and into the Catholic Church. Its representatives have systematically drafted an absolutely heretical body of doctrine. This theology attempts to seduce people, divide Catholics, and to discredit pastors who speak out against it in the mass media.
On Twitter, My Name Is SergiDean and Javier Macho give their opinion on the bishop's most recent conspiracy:
@SergiDean: Según el obispo de Alcalá la ley del aborto es una conspiración contra la población mundial… será que vosotros ayudáis a que crezca…
@SergiDean: According to the bishop of Alcalá, the abortion law is a conspiracy against the global population… you bishops must be the reason it's still increasing, then…
@javiermacho65: Por favor es importante que quien cuide esta noche del obispo de Alcalá acierte con la medicación para evitar que mañana diga más bobadas!!
@javiermacho65: Please, whoever is taking care of the bishop of Alcalá tonight, get his medication right so he doesn't spout any more drivel tomorrow!!
And Alberto offers a practical solution:
@Albert_es_Tweet: Hola Dios: ¿podrías concederle una vagina al obispo Reig Plá para que pueda reproducirse como una coneja y perpetuar la especie? Gracias.
@Albert_es_Tweet: Hello, God: would you please grant bishop Reig Plá a vagina so that he might breed like a rabbit and perpetuate the species? Thank you.