News, November 2006

José Cardona seriously ill

José Cardona

28 November. One of Spain's most influential and beloved evangelicals over the past 50 years is ill in hospital, but after a week of serious fears for his life it seems he could soon be well enough to go home. José Cardona was a Baptist pastor and for many years General Secretary of the Evangelical Defence Commission, which later became FEREDE. His diabetes has caused an infection in his leg and he is now seriously ill. He was taken to hospital on Tuesday, 21st. Our prayers are with his wife and daughter, who remain at his bedside. On the 25th the FEREDE celebrated the 50th anniversary of the EDC, while the Catalan Evangelical Council celebrated 25 years in a joint event in Barcelona.

This autumn the FEREDE (Federation of Spanish Evangelical Bodies) has been celebrating the 50th anniversary of 'Cardona's baby'. The Evangelical Defence Commission came into existence at a time when to be a Spaniard meant by law to be a Roman Catholic. Religious freedom had existed in the past, between 1869 and 1939, but had then effectively been rescinded. Evangelicals had to put up with many injustices during the Franco years, but as this era came to an end, the work of the Commission was fundamental to the inspiration of the 1967 religious tolerance law, which preceded the total freedom which came with the democratic Constitution in 1978. In addition, the Commision and Cardona in particular assisted in the relationship of many churches and individual believers with the authorities.

Cardona was born in 1918 in the beautiful Costa Blanca port of Denia. He grew up to become the pastor of the Baptist church and later was the legal advisor for the denomination, before going on to represent all the Spanish evangelicals. In all, he worked for the Commission and FEREDE between 1958 and 1995.