Catholic parent group calls for dismissal of Spanish civil servant

Published: 2005-02-23

BARCELONA Spain (CNS) -- A Catholic organization called for the dismissal of an "anti-religious" Spanish civil servant after she backed a recommendation to renege on educational agreements signed with the Vatican more than 25 years ago. Marta Mata, president of the Schools Council, an advisory body to the Spanish government, backed a recommendation that the government break the 1978 Spain-Vatican concordat, which gives parents the right to opt for Catholic education for their children. By a narrow majority, Schools Council members voted that the accords, which are binding under international law, run counter to the Spanish Constitution's definition of the state as "nonconfessional." The Catholic Confederation of Parents of Pupils called for Mata to be fired "because of her known partiality ... her known antireligious feelings that keep her from developing her position responsibly." Mata rejected the charge, describing her childhood in the "heart of a Christian family."

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