MADRID, MAR 9 (ZENIT.org).- The Protestant community in Spain welcomed the document of the International Theological Commission, inviting Catholic pastors and faithful to ask for forgiveness for past faults committed by the Catholic Church. Pedro Tarquis, spokesman for the Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities in Spain, told the agency "Servimedia" that the "mea culpa" the Pope will pronounce next Sunday is a positive step.

    Tarquis pointed out that in the petition for pardon there are few allusions to Protestantism, although he asserts that "during the Inquisition thousands of Protestants died, condemned by the Catholic Church." Nonetheless, the document of the Theological Commission, is candid in addressing the nature of this historical period, and the Pope is expected to address this issue in his homily on Sunday.

    Moreover, Tarquis asserted that the German Evangelical Church should ask pardon for some of its behavior during the Nazi period. Also, some North American Evangelical Churches should finally acknowledge the fundamental rights of the black population. The Catholic Church's examination of conscience at the end of this millennium has not been widely taken up by other churches, with the exception of some isolated cases, like Swiss Protestants.

    Alberto Benasly, president of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League and member of the General Secretariat of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain, said that the document of the International Theological Commission "is positive." ZE00030902