I saw this story on the Houston Chronicle website about the beatification of 498 people during the Spanish Civil War, along with accompanying criticism of the move. Apparently the issue is one of history and timing. According to the article, the Catholic Church sided with right-wing forces under the leadership of Francisco Franco against the left-wing elected government. Franco's forces won the war and he served as dictator of Spain, where he left a decidedly mixed legacy, including routine use of capital punishment against terrorists and perceived enemies of the government. Spain currently enjoys a democratic constitutional monarchy. The currently elected government has socialist leanings and endorses policies (such as permissive divorce and widely available abortion) contrary to the doctrine of the Church, and is pursuing legislation to offer symbolic reparation to those deprived by the Franco government. Church leaders claim the beatification is a celebration of martyrs timed according to Vatican processes. Those critical of the move claim the beatification is an tacit endorsement of the Franco government and an implicit criticism of the government's move for reparation.
I don't know whether there is any malice or implicit political statement in the beatification. I do know this...the story is a perfect example of why I don't think the Church should endorse any particular government or leader. We can support one policy and reject another without hypocracy, but when we support a leader as a Church, we run the risk of being saddled with unsavory consequences. President Bush may very well oppose abortion, but he can't be called pro-life by any stretch.
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