La entrada original puede leerse aquí.
The growing interest in Hispanic tradition in Spain and Hispanic America is a phenomenon worthy of attention. To begin with, we rejoice that fewer people now view the intention to reclaim the so-called «madre patria» as quixotic, for this is none other than the true fatherland—the fatherland that recognizes God as its beginning and end.
The various movements we might call Hispanist (since there is not just one form of Hispanism) share a common goal: the reclamation of the shared culture of the territories once brought under the Spanish crown and the encounter between two worlds. Generally, Hispanists begin by appreciating the culture or by admiring the historical feats of the Hispanic kingdoms. It is not inherently wrong to hold in esteem the common culture of the current Hispanic countries, as Ramiro de Maeztu himself observed during his time as a diplomat in Argentina.
However, Maeztu himself would later conclude that Spain’s core is spiritual in nature—a missionary vocation for the Catholic Faith. Hispanidad does not reside in some obscure protoplasmic entity but in language and creed. Menéndez Pelayo held a similar view regarding the greatness of Spain, even going so far as to declare that without these, Spain would Balkanize:
«Spain, evangelizer of half the world; Spain, hammer of heretics, light of Trent, sword of Rome, cradle of Saint Ignatius… this is our greatness and our unity; we have no other. The day it is lost, Spain will return to the cantonalism of the Arevaci and the Vettones or the kings of the taifas».
The coming centuries would prove Menéndez Pelayo right.
The risk of a «Hispanidad» devoid of its spiritual element would mean repeating the errors of the Renaissance mentality: the pursuit of earthly and fleeting grandeur. And this is not what defines Spain. Rather, Spain was established as a bulwark against Europe. The kings and leaders of various European countries accumulated worldly power and did not hesitate to wage war against the last strongholds of Christendom, which were Spain and the Papal States.
Carlism, as the cause of the legitimate dynasty that fought for its right to reign, also raises the banner that sheltered Spanish political traditionalism. Its princes and kings were steadfast defenders of Spain against the expanding tide of liberalism. Carlism, therefore, represents the continuity of what Spain truly is. If we wish to preserve and transmit the content and essence of Spain, we cannot look to nationalism, which claims that «there is only one Spanish people» while ignoring the multiplicity of peoples that make up the Spains, along with their own customs and fueros that emerged from them.
Do we remember our common culture out of mere nostalgia, or are we, like the pagans of old, attempting to dream of cutting a Gordian knot and building great empires to glorify grandeur and hegemony for their own sake? Will we keep repeating the mantra «when we were invincible?». That would imply ignoring the political tradition of the Spains and leaving the door open to the ideas of such ideologically diverse and strange figures as Santiago Armesilla or Miguel Anxo Bastos. To claim one can be «Hispanist and socialist», «Hispanist and liberal», or «Hispanist and paleolibertarian» is to turn the concept of Hispanist into something that contradicts the preservation of the core and essence of Spain.
In light of these claims, it is necessary to discuss Felipe «VI» and his visits to Hispanic America. Public opinion in Hispanic America is, rightly so, mostly negative toward him and Juan Carlos. Seated on the throne without any right, they have managed to discredit even the very notion of monarchy. Likewise, if we are to scorn Freemasonry for the political damage it caused the Hispanic Monarchy, we must be serious: Felipe «VI» has participated in Masonic events and has received honors from them. Felipe «VI» does not rule Spain by right, and if he rules in fact, he does so catastrophically.
Similarly, Vox’s intrusions in Hispanic America serve only to define themselves in opposition to the specter of communism, which still seems to haunt them. They speak of promoting «liberty» and little else (another way of improving their international image). Vox does not work to achieve what the Spanish Crown did on the American continent: they follow a political agenda typical of modernity. They may try to exploit Hispanidad to boost some of their tours across our continent, but always with their pragmatic agenda as the guiding principle.
If we love Spain and want to express our gratitude for what it has done for us, we must continue its enterprise as our ancestors did. Spain was forged with the preaching of the Apostle James and with the assistance of the Virgin when she appeared on a pillar in Zaragoza. It was providentially safeguarded with the conversion of Recaredo, preserved, and strengthened in medieval Christendom as it reclaimed territory stolen by the Mohammedan hosts. Then, having remained faithful while Europe apostatized, it undertook one of the most misunderstood acts of charity in history: delivering a continent to Christ.
Spain, like all of medieval Christendom, was illuminated by the pen of Saint Tomás de Aquino and, remaining faithful, redistributed that light. All of Spain’s cultural heritage is the material legacy of this centuries-long work, and the origins of our shared culture can never be understood apart from these lofty realities. Those who truly intend to love Spain will necessarily continue to keep alive the political tradition that made Spain what it was, and what it is, so that it may continue distributing the goods and blessings it once spread to so many peoples.
Paolo E. Regno, Círculo Tradicionalista Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Panamá
Translated by the Gremio San Jerónimo
Deje el primer comentario