It might come as a surprise to people outside of Spain, but this once so Catholic country is having a problem with Crucifixes.

There has been debate for some time whether they should remain, as they sometimes are, hanging on walls in secular buildings, such as state schools.

I must admit that, when I first heard of it, I was surprised that some schools still have them, such has been the secularization in the last few years.

But in some schools they do remain, a fact which upsets secular activists and some politicians. Needless to say, I find it hard to understand how anyone get offended by an image of Christ or a Cross, bearing in mind the images that bombard us daily in the media. But then again, there’s a lot of things I don’t understand. Many have come to the defense of the Crucifix and have pointed out that it is impossible to separate the Cross from Spain, they are so tightly intertwined. This is of course true, but some fall into a trap when they defend the Crucifix, saying that, more than anything, it is a cultural symbol.

No, the Cross is not a neutral cultural expression. It is the maximum symbol of Faith in Christ. It’s that Faith that is missing in modern Spain, and that’s the real problem. The Crucifix on the wall as a traditional decoration is meaningless. It’s only when that Cross is carried inside of us that the Crucifix on the wall comes alive.

If we argue that it is just a cultural, traditional symbol, we admit defeat … or worse, we lie. Let’s keep the Crucifixes where they are, by all means, but the Cross of personal Faith needs even more urgent attention in Spain today.