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	Madrid Visit by Pope Animates Secular Protesters By Victor Mallet and Pascale Davies Financial Times August 12, 2011 http://www.pitch.com/plog/archives/2011/08/12/another-lawsuit-filed-against-catholic-priest-shawn-ratigan-for-alleged-child-sexual-abuse A papal visit to Madrid this month to greet hundreds of thousands of young Roman Catholics has revived a bitter debate about the role of the Church in Spanish politics and angered secular protesters who say their websites were being censored this week. Pope Benedict XVI arrives on August 18 to celebrate World Youth Day in the Spanish capital, where supporters from all over the world have already started to gather for a series of celebrations and public appearances that will close some city centre avenues for up to six days. But dozens of liberal and left-wing organisations demanding a fully secular state say they will stage at least one protest march against the visit, despite being repeatedly refused permission to demonstrate by the authorities. A leading trade union has also called a strike on the city’s metro network to coincide with the visit. Protesters – who criticise the Church for everything from child abuse by priests to its support for the Franco dictatorship during after the Spanish civil war – are particularly incensed by official attempts to block social media sites where demonstrations are being planned.
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