Locals from Trevélez, especially a women's association there, are not happy with their priest after he has put obstacles to their organising celebrations for San Benito on the 12th of July.

Each year (and for many years) they organise the procession and a lunch in the church hall. This year, however, the priest has told them to bugger off… Sorry; he informed them that the hall would not be available.

Now, it’s not only the ladies up in the highest village in the whole of Spain, but also the Town Hall, so you have these two entities on one side and the village priest backed by the Archbishop of Granada, on the other.

Things started to go downhill four years ago after the arrival of the new priest but this year takes the biscuit, claims the women’s association.

The celebration consists of a stumble around the village with an effigy of the saint on a platform borne by several bearers. Followed by the nosh in the church hall. The women’s association also organises the sale of lottery tickets both to finance the fiesta and fix a couple of installations around the village in need of repair.

But, according to the spokesperson, “The priests is only interest in the money.” For this reason the association refused to hand over the raised fund to the priest, which triggered events this year.

“Ever since he turned up his attitude is I’m the boss around here,” said one of village’s women folk who is an association member.

Father Rubén Ávila Arenas on the other hand, said that the church hall denial was not his decision but that of the Archbishop and the Consejo Pastoral Parroquial, “They want to eject me from the Church.”

The Archbishop of Granada when approached by the press at first, preferred not to make any comment, until today when the Archbishop (Archie to his mates) said that the accusations levelled against the priest were regrettable and asked for”respect towards the parish authority.

The communique also said that all decisions made in the parish are the responsibility of the parish priest, effectively ducking the accusation that it was Archie’s decision. The great man also said that the procession was not an official church event but that people are free to organise such events, if they so wish. In other words, as it is not official, that give the priest the ground to let them use the church hall

In the meantime, the villagers have started a signature collection of have the priest removed from the parish.

The full name of the women’s association, by the way, is the Vicaría General a La Asociación Civil de Mujeres San Benito de Trevélez

Editorial comment: who, in their right mind, would set about annoying a women’s association for the love of God? A priest, could be the answer, one whose only experience of the opposite sex is adoring old dears, and his sisters and mother, perhaps, and therefore does not recognised such an implacable wrath when he is staring it in the face. He also made the huge mistake of calling members of the association demonios (demons) Oh boy, is he asked for misery!

(News: Trevelez, Alpujarra, Granada, Andaluciua)

Keywords: Parish Priest, San Benito, Women’s Assocation, Archbishop, Church Hall

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