The three bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Mérida-Badajoz and the Archbishop of Toledo and his auxiliary (part of Extremadura belongs to the Archdiocese of Toledo) have issued a statement regarding the regional elections on December 21 in Extremadura.
Below, we reproduce it in full:
“On December 21, all Extremadurans are called to the polls. On this occasion, the bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Mérida-Badajoz, the Archbishop of Toledo and his auxiliary bishop, as pastors of the People of God, offer, with humility, cordial respect and simplicity, to Catholics and to all who wish to listen to us, some considerations that help in the responsible and free exercise of voting.
1. First of all, we want to recall the importance of exercising the vote and encourage it. It is a right and a responsibility that requires information, lucidity and critical sense. Exercising the vote, always from mutual respect, even toward those who do not share our own ideas, is one of the ways, though not the only one, to know ourselves as active protagonists and not just passive spectators in the configuration of a human, just and fraternal society.
2. Exercising the vote responsibly implies, in turn, valuing politics as a very high vocation, “one of the most precious forms of charity because it seeks the common good” (Fratelli tutti 180). It is precisely in this shared search, above any other interest, overcoming sterile confrontations, where the greatness of politics is at stake and manifested. We cannot but express our recognition and gratitude to all those in our land, from the smallest municipality to the provincial and regional institutions, who exercise politics with honesty and coherence as a true vocation of service.
3. The Church cannot and should not propose a political project, since the Christian faith is neither a political ideology nor does it identify with any of them, and it can lead to different, licit and legitimate commitments and options (cf. Octogesima adveniens 50). The Gospel is neither exhausted nor identified with any program. It does promote, among other great values, the defense of the value and dignity of every person and human life, from conception and without any exception, the protection and defense of the most vulnerable, the fight against poverty and inequalities, respect for the fundamental rights of every person, the search for the common good and social justice.
We want to conclude by once again expressing our willingness to collaborate in everything that means growing in humanity and serving the common good, as well as the development of people and our towns, many of them small, but no less in rights and dignity. We ask for the help and intercession of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Saint Peter of Alcántara, patrons of Extremadura”.
Badajoz, December 2, 2025.
Fr. José Rodríguez Carballo, ofm
Archbishop of Mérida-Badajoz
Jesús Pulido Arriero
Bishop of Coria-Cáceres
Ernesto Jesús Brotóns Tena
Bishop of Plasencia
Francisco Cerro Chaves
Archbishop of Toledo
Francisco César García Magán
Auxiliary Bishop of Toledo
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