A Spanish Catholic brotherhood's decision to exclude women from its Holy Week procession has sparked controversy, but women across the country continue to take pride in their traditional roles. The Puríssima Sang de Nostre Senyor Jesucrist brotherhood in Sagunto voted to bar women, citing 'respect for tradition,' triggering protests from the government and the public.
Holy Week processions in Spain are elaborate events that can last hours and attract thousands. In Baena, women in purple hoods carried a flower-decked float with a statue of Jesus. In Montoro, Ricardo Ruano, a costalero, emphasised equality, saying his whole family participates. Rosa de la Cruz, a portadora, stated, 'We as women have the same right as a man to go out in the procession.'
Professor Juan Carlos González Faraco noted that brotherhoods have been including women for decades, though some heavy floats are still carried only by men. Mari Carmen Lopez added, 'We go with faith, with devotion, with all our hearts,' criticising those who exclude women as forgetting they were born of a woman.
