A Catholic priest in Spain is facing jail time after he was found guilty of making comments deemed "Islamophobic."
Father Custodio Ballester faces a three-year prison sentence and fines for answering a question posed by Cardinal Juan José Omella in 2016 about an interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims.
"This renewed revival of Christian-Muslim dialogue, paralyzed by the alleged 'imprudence' of the beloved Benedict XVI, is far from a reality. Islam does not allow for dialogue. You either believe or you are an infidel who must be subdued one way or another," Ballester wrote in a letter at the time.
In a 2017 YouTube video, Ballester expanded on his 2016 remarks, warning that Islam not only poses a threat in Europe, but also that in many Muslim-majority countries, Christians face persecution.
The Association of Spanish Muslims Against Islamophobia, responding to Ballester's public remarks, filed a complaint that prompted charges against the Catholic priest.
Ballester, fellow priest Fr Jesús Calvo, and journalist Armando Robles were charged under Spain's hate-speech law, The Catholic Herald reports.
Ballester told the Catholic News Agency prior to his court appearance that his words were not hate speech or discriminatory, and the outcome would determine "the survival of freedom of expression in today's Spain."
"Otherwise, we'll be headed toward a new Cuban dictatorship. One where you were arrested for what you said as well as for what you thought, if it differed from what Fidel Castro decided," he explained.
On October 1, the Provincial Court of Málaga held a trial, dedicating several hours to examining the complaints against Ballester.
"The prosecution demonstrates with its actions that so-called hate crimes exist to restrict freedom of thought and expression. The Hate Law is legally a 'blank law,' or a blank check. Not even the prosecutors themselves know how to define 'hate.' They fabricate the crime in each case based on who allegedly committed it, and it's a one-way crime. They only charge Christians, never Muslims," Ballester told CNA.
Spain's hate speech legislation is outlined in Article 510 of the Spanish Penal Code and was later expanded to include online offenses. The law criminalizes public expressions that incite hatred, hostility, discrimination, or violence against individuals or groups. Those groups would be based on religion, race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, illness, or disability.
In light of the potential prison sentence facing Ballester, CBN's Raj Nair and Billy Hallowell analyzed how free speech is being threatened globally.
"This is insane," said Nair. "He wasn't saying, 'Let's go hurt people that are Muslim. Let's go burn their houses down.' He was just basically stating, sort of like a geopolitical understanding of the theology and the outworkings of Islam."
He added, "[People] are being arrested for liking comments, for making comments, for sharing their opinions. I mean, that is the bedrock foundation of Western society."
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Penalties for violating Spain's law include a prison sentence ranging from one to four years, plus fines.
Ballester has yet to be sentenced but could face a three-year sentence plus fines.
He has vowed to appeal his case to the European Court of Human Rights if he is sent to prison.
Organizations and hundreds of supporters are calling for his acquittal, saying the ruling was a politically motivated attack on Christianity.
Abogados Cristianos said it had collected more than 28,000 signatures in defense of the priest. Spanish President María García expressed concern over the priest's prosecution.
"Defending religious freedom also means protecting the freedom of those, like Father Custodio, who warn of realities that have already caused deaths in our country and in Europe," she said, according to the Spanish Observatory for Religious Freedom and Conscience.
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