Perhaps you have seen a bus with the campaign pass through the streets of Logroño XSo many in which one of the 15 participants appears who did not check the Church’s box, the famous X on the income tax return. Like many taxpayers, whether due to distrust of the Church, because they did not agree with the method, for ideological reasons, or for other reasons, they were not willing to divert 0.7% of their taxes to finance the work of the Church. Catholic, even knowing that this percentage is not saved, since the State will use it for other purposes if the declarant does not expressly indicate it. This position accounts for two thirds of the declarations made each year in Spain.
Considering these numbers, those who have been promoting the campaign for years For so many (you know, “for so many” reasons to mark the box of the Catholic Church, given the immense activity that it carries out in favor of society), they decided to ask the dissatisfied, to propose a five-day trip to visit some places where people in need are cared for, people in reintegration, mental health, women victims of violence, etc., financed by the X of the declaration and carried out by ecclesial realities.
It is surprising that, once the consultation was made public, more than 200 people wanted to show their disagreements and at the same time their desire to participate in this proposed tour of the various facilities where they simply showed what was being done in favor of so many affected by the setbacks of life.
The result of the campaign has been shocking: the majority have changed their position to join that third of contributors who trust in the action of the Church. On the website www.unviajeportantos.es you can obtain more in-depth information about what we have briefly discussed here. If we talk about “scoring a goal” when someone is managed to deceive, in the case of the activities of the Church it is not “goals” that are scored but rather “many” that add to the commendable and daily work of the Church. .
Along these same lines, last Friday, May 24, the annual report of Caritas Diocesan of La Rioja, corresponding to the year 2023. How can we not take advantage of the opportunity to thank so many people who collaborate in the various services of Caritas, to the benefactors who make its management possible and to the trust of the users who come to its doors to show their need, a decision that is always complicated. The report delivered to the media and other information that may be of interest can be found at www.caritaslarioja.org
The campaign takes place as we approach the Day of Corpus Christi, whose resonances are so well known that it does not need translation. It is no coincidence that the Church links the announcement of Caritas with the proximity of Corpus, since we cannot separate the procession of the Divine Sacrament through the streets of our towns and cities from the reception of those who process through these same places dragging behind them a string of needs to be covered. We would not go calmly in the procession, next to Christ hidden and shown in the monstrance, if we neglected the same Christ hidden and shown in the needy.
In the parishes we know that this Sunday’s collection is destined to Caritas; The Diocese, for its part, has wanted to join in, in this year, in a special way, doubling its annual contribution to alleviate the deficit that the accounts of Caritas have published in their report.
May the
