Spanish Tenants' Union to Pope: Stop Church Evictions

A Spanish tenants' union has sent a letter to Pope Francis, delivered by a member of parliament, asking him to stop evictions carried out by the Catholic Church. The letter, handed to the Pope on Monday by Sumar party spokesperson Verónica Barbero, highlights a housing crisis in Spain. It specifically criticizes the eviction of Mariano Ordaz, a 67-year-old man forced from his Madrid home in May. The property was owned by a Catholic order, the Venerable Third Order of Saint Francis (VOT). "Unfortunately, real estate speculation has reached entities of the Catholic Church itself," the letter states. It says the VOT raised rents and evicted Ordaz on May 7 after he lost his job as a waiter during the pandemic. He now lives in a shelter. The union also targets the Fusara Foundation, managed by the Archdiocese of Madrid. It accuses the foundation of refusing to renew hundreds of rental contracts to sell buildings to investment funds. "We find it incomprehensible that the Church enters into these dynamics of speculation," the letter says. "How can the Church, which should be a refuge for the weak, participate in decisions that risk people’s housing stability for economic interest?" the letter asks, quoting the biblical book of Isaiah: "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct the oppressed." The union requests a public audience with the Pope. It asks him to "use this visit to intervene in this situation." It also highlights the case of Maricarmen, an 87-year-old woman facing eviction in two weeks. The letter blames Madrid's mayor and regional president for failing to stop the crisis. "Speculation is based on greed, and greed is a sin that is contaminating our society," it concludes. "Houses are for living in, not for speculating."