Basque priests on Saturday backed concerns voiced by bishops over moves to outlaw a separatist political party, deepening a dispute involving the Basque Catholic Church, the Vatican and the Spanish Government.
The priests said in an open letter to the Basque newspaper, Deia, that they supported bishops from the northern region, who have warned of possible "sombre consequences" of government plans to permit the banning of political parties that support terrorism.
The Foreign Minister, Mr Josep Pique, who summoned the Papal Nuncio on Friday to complain at the bishops' stance, said the priests' letter went against the beliefs of the church.
"This letter is clearly immoral . . . and absolutely contradicts the values that the Catholic Church defends. It makes no reference to the suffering of victims [of Basque separatist violence\] and only seeks to compensate the hangmen," Mr Pique told reporters.
The letter included a call for solutions to overcome the current tension between all sides of the debate over Basque nationalism.
However, it also spoke of an "awareness [that we\] belong to the Basque homeland which is affirmed, developed and grows every day, despite a powerfully hostile setting as regards the state".
Batasuna, the party the government is trying to make illegal with the backing of opposition Socialists, is clearly sympathetic to ETA and considered to be its political arm.
Spain's ambassador to the Vatican has asked to be received by the Holy See to lodge a protest. - (Reuters)