Is harming on purpose moral? The question is pertinent because of the agreement of the Audiovisual Council of Catalonia (CAC), referring to the TV3 program Està passant, dedicated to the Virgin Mary of Rocío. The CAC's intervention is motivated by 115 individual and three collective complaints, from e-Cristians, the Federation of Andalusian Cultural Entities in Catalonia (Fecac) and the political party Valents. He considers "that in the analyzed case there is no violation of the audiovisual regulations". He does so, despite concluding that "they can be unfortunate, and even hurtful especially with regard to people who profess the Catholic faith".
What if we accept that a public instance can inflict a wound, hurt Catholics? What is the ethical alternative that this question raises?: to conceive another comic story based on religious references that are not hurtful. This solution does not limit freedom of expression, because there are countless possible stories. It's a matter of creativity, not freedom. But for the authors, TV3 and also the CAC, the "grace" lies precisely in hurting.
The CAC assumes that moral pain can be caused to Catholics, but this same purpose applied to any other group would be impermissible. If the suffering of Catholics is acceptable to public television and the institutions of this country, it means that the limits have been crossed. A reality that is even more evident if we remember that in January, and in another comedy program, they made a bad joke at the Socialist Party, and TV3 responded by firing the comedian and deleting the program.
And the abuse is also legal. In 2002, the "Criteria of the Audiovisual Council of Catalonia regarding the treatment of religious events in audiovisual entertainment programs" were established, which were flagrantly violated by Toni Soler's program about the Virgin Mary. The same Soler who two decades ago was the initial cause of those "Criteria". Now, the CAC does not apply them because it does not suit it. How should this type of behavior in public officials be classified?
