Islamist threat against Spanish cathedrals provokes calls for more security

Window at the top of the south façade of the Cathedral in Seville, Spain,. / Credit: o_andras/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International via Wikimedia Commons

Madrid, Spain, Feb 26, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The Observatory for Religious Freedom and Conscience (OLRC, by its Spanish acronym) is calling on Spain’s Ministry of the Interior to strengthen security at the country’s cathedrals after a threat against the sacred structures was issued by the Islamic terrorist group Daesh (ISIS).

According to a recent report by Memri, a publication specializing in Islamist terrorism, a poster with the label “Let’s slaughter” is being disseminated online in which a terrorist armed with a knife and an image of a Spanish cathedral can be seen.

According to the Spanish newspaper La Razón, the poster is accompanied by the incitement to “make the next news yourself and show your anger at what is happening to Muslims. Follow in the footsteps of your brothers who preceded you and sowed fear in the hearts of unbelievers.”

These threats come as major events are being held in some Spanish cathedrals, for example in Madrid and Seville, to pray for the health of Pope Francis, where a large number of faithful are expected to attend.

In response to the threats, the OLRC has launched a petition to ask the minister of the interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, to increase security in the nation’s cathedrals.

The petition states that “jihadism is asking its ‘lone wolves’ to attack our churches. The security of Catholics is in danger. Have we forgotten that two years ago a jihadist murdered sacristan Diego Valencia in Algeciras and injured a priest?”

The organization, which advises the Spanish government’s Monitoring Commission for the Action Plan to Combat Hate Crimes, recalled that last New Year’s Eve “two jihadist minors planned to attack the basilica in Elche” and that in January threats were made against the Palencia cathedral via Telegram.

The president of the OLRC, María García, pointed out in a statement that “the safety of believers is in danger. We cannot ignore the threats of Daesh. We know what they are capable of, and we are seeing it these days in Europe.”

García also recalled that last year “a record number of arrests for jihadism in Spain were made.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.