Religious freedom group delivers 5,110 signatures to bring back televised Covadonga Mass

The Observatory for Religious Freedom and Conscience has presented 5,110 signatures to the government of the Principality of Asturias, in northern Spain. They ask that Radiotelevisión del Principado de Asturias (RTPA), the region's public broadcaster, resume its broadcast of the Mass for the Day of Covadonga. The Mass was part of the public broadcaster's schedule for almost 20 years and was dropped without notice or explanation. Its removal has caused discontent among residents.

María García, president of the Observatory, said the broadcast mattered to the sick, the elderly and Asturians living outside the region. "For many people, this broadcast was the only way to take part in the feast of Asturias," she said. Removing it cannot be treated as a simple scheduling change, she said, because it directly affects those who cannot travel to attend the celebration.

García called the situation a clear example of the discrimination Catholics face today. "This is militant secularism and it is an attack on religious freedom," she said. She said the broadcaster's decision was part of a broader pattern of exclusion of religious traditions.

With the signatures now delivered, the Observatory said it expects the regional government to explain to Asturians why its television service does not carry the Covadonga Mass.