caravaggio these sheep are on their way to church. they're being blessed here. and that will come when i like animals but they don't belong in a church made the negligee i am so all tidy there. this roman catholic priest is a bit of a maverick. father in hell is in charge of the church of sun and on it parish in the heart of madrid is one of the most unusual in spain yet there when there are a number of positively has played santa whenever he can the 81 year old starts his day with a walk around the church that our you father and him they developed by and you do you have sandwiches in the over the top of the little everyday volunteers provide

breakfast and lunch for homeless people for impoverished pensioners and for others who can't afford to feed themselves. but i already know my kids get there until like something sweet a very hungry. at its. most churches in spain open their doors only for services son anton never closes. there are toilets baby changing facilities and drinking water. but it was hell had to fight long and hard for his 24 hour church in 2015 the bishop gave him permission to revamp the inside of san antonio hard to use were replaced with comfortable chairs now anyone can rest prayed for sleep here. many homeless people are happy to accept what the church offers. their kid there is the. these are ribbons and on the other one you can write your name and the name of

your beloved on them. and then tie the 2 names together here. so your love also remains firm. and father and he doesn't care if the lovers are 2 men or 2 women there is a large gay scene here in the district of madrid. for leadership. and our churches fibroids think is that it's more about life than death. and we became priests to bless people not to curse them and get on the what if i meet a priest who refuses to bless 2 people of the same sex who are in love because the kitty i would tell him to go to the body shop and resign or this. because that same person would be prepared to bless metals cars or even buildings also in the day when really he was.

in san antonio or the church of the poor as it's called in madrid you can charge your cell phone there's also free y. 5 for people who can't afford an internet connection. to the chapel houses a telephone helpline this is another of the many social services provided by father and chose n.g.o.s in sahara still a pos or messengers of peace with the help of an army of volunteers. and really good morning how are you home or place of peace. talking to also my dear ranged he just keeps saying i love you i love you but horses that's always nice isn't it anymore 10 that wouldn't be a fair 80 volunteers working here in shifts from monday to friday from 9 am to 7 pm to engine alone we received 1105 calls 3 weeks you see all these calls here are

just from jim but i must say how that's relevant to the who. i. am. for subway stations down the line from sun and tone clothes to madrid's main sites and shopping district is the robin hood restaurant. it's father and his latest project to restore dignity to the homeless and those in need. the idea is not to steal from the rich to feed the poor instead it gives those better off a chance to share their wealth the paying guests enable the restaurant to serve up the same fine food for free to people without money. the tables are laid with polish cutlery table cloths and napkins. most people here don't want to be filmed they're too ashamed of being recognized.

but i . the dishes prepared in this kitchen for the needy are far from the simple filling food you'd see in the capital soup kitchens. there are now 2 more robin-hood restaurants in the city the concept is proving successful paying customers like to dine out here food tastes even better when you're not just satisfying your own needs i mean there's going to the marquis that's just a mystery and i'm sitting here we can see the people gathering to easter the minute just like us. said it was me and those that somehow i feel connected to them as a result you're missing dormant from the moment when he died yesterday with murphy

to monica and we were just talking about the idea of this restaurant is a picture of some of the homeless people might be completely on their own without any families to help them with something or something for me since i suppose they're all in a difficult situation the stress. that's moving. most is interesting when you think. i mean has been coming to robin hood for 6 months now the needy often wait months to get a place. a michigan ornament. my financial situation is like this each month and i have $100.00 maybe $130.00 euros left after paying for all of my regular outgoings political movement that's not enough to cover food for a month that's impossible and i wish him to shoot. and it's not just food that i need but also money for clothes to go out for a drink now and then. i can't afford it from justice and the winter is coming soon

as he. know all. i wouldn't come here to eat if i didn't need to. i would give my place to someone in greater need government to keep this in. spain has an unemployment rate of 15 percent that's more than twice as high as the e.u.'s bridge. 27 percent of the country's population is classified as poor the number of needy in madrid continues to rise the economic crisis hit many people including the middle class is often the effects were rapid and unexpected. by me used to work as a technician digitalisation put him out of a job 8 years ago on top of that came a divorce and high child support payments lost everything. yet they felt they couldn't leave these here share back there takes a lot of. kind he has 5 years to go before he can draw

a pension the 60 year old earns a few years by delivering newspapers. when i get to a horse i have 2 children. he's 26 and i make it was 19. years we all know if i see them around once a month. i don't want them to know how things really are with me look at the bottom of that i don't tell them because i don't want them to suffer too. as in the when we see each other we have a nice time but why don't we go for a drink you know me find me other close members of my family don't know either with us and. my brothers are older than raise. a they have enough to do coping with everyday life for. the altar area in san antonio is separated from the rest of the church with a curtain because people aren't praying in the navy they're having breakfast. butter on toast set up his in geo messengers of peace back in 1962. since then the

organization has started many projects to help needy children people with disabilities refugees and the lonely. in spain father and hell has become famous politicians in clerics appreciate the priest who works on behalf of the poor worldwide. and they would also like to help out in san antonio. that afternoon he was beginning a 2 day induction course to work as a volunteer he hopes these new tasks will give him more structure in his daily life . but there are also some homeless people like sarah who are critical of father and his charity work. you just got if you will just but i'm grateful to the volunteer staff who come here and give their time for free but i'm opposed to the way the father instrumental lies and the need for his media appearances they're vulnerable because it doesn't matter whether they're homeless people the elderly the sick or

the young it's obvious and abusive. he will not come out and he never travels alone there is always a camera there somewhere recording it all. his press team isn't just there to respond to interview requests. they have an agenda. they go knocking at every door on his behalf whenever they can but it doesn't that but i mean that if people think that i will get on here we have the former spanish president. even there they wish and here the pope is that i served under. all the 6th john paul the 2nd the thought of john the 23rd benedict the 16th and the current pope francis who i've already had the honor of meeting several times. you know the vatican is on the line because.

it has always ringing for another. anyone who reads father and can easily see he loves an audience everyone recognizes his face. many people attend his masses but there are some homeless people who claim that there's a large organization behind sun until and that collects a lot of money but offers the homeless relatively little help. it's unclear whether there's any substance to these allegations. one thing is clear father and help provides on the spot help in san anton and if anyone is looking for a new apartment or a new job the priest has many contacts who can help. with. the n.g.o.s. is among the father's critics it's in favor of

a strict separation between church and state. this isn't in spain doesn't have a long tradition. it only dates back to 1975 the end of the franco dictatorship under franco church and state were closely interlinked. the head of a rope or lake or an tonio gomez said this is still not a thing of the past. he vented his criticism of father and hill on a talk show. i would like to say hello to everyone including father and the shining hero of church charity work a man above criticism. and yet welfare as a normal business is motivated by normal profit interests it is the enemy of honest solidarity and it makes the needy even needy or.

the rich bend down to the poor and offer them a few bread crumbs. what is the result. is that you millionth the poor and perpetuate their situation. pretty clear statement. he is right the state has to take on responsibility for the safety and health of the citizens. but church welfare isn't a curse those of us who do charitable work aren't the bad guys what's to be done at the state doesn't take action to take a look at the soup kitchens we jump in when the state fails to act. and the spanish welfare state has little to offer the fall out from the eurozone debt crisis has led to many cutbacks gomez's demand is that the church should not be allowed to replace the state when it comes to helping the poor.

their organizations both religious and non-religious that use poverty to justify their actions but they are in the market to make money from those. things you think instrumentalists poverty to make money. they are interested in profit and as such as these organizations don't solve a single cause of poverty. on the contrary also because their existence helps justify the state sitting back so that it no longer has to take any political measures to battle poverty for real. i was. asking whether or not the couple of. father i tell recognizes the state's responsibility but he doesn't want to see people going hungry but how exactly is his charity work funded and how big are his church one n.g.o.s profits those questions go unanswered. the start of the 2 day induction course for volunteers jaime was part of the cohort. and what

a good day to you so you're the new intake or whatever he's. doing you want to work his ball in tears. i mean jaime as a volunteer said you. to be able to do 3 things in this course 1st you have to be able to love the person secondly to help or thirdly importer having time for people you know it's very important do you want to do that if yes of course. the must know she's father and carol is aware of what some people say about his projects many are suspicious of his proximity to power the country has been plagued with corruption scandals. it's our duty as priests to stand by the poor not just the poor the morrison of the war or the no money it's our duty just as it's our duty to

obey god. that is one of the fundamental ideas of our church. going as long back as peter. you know and that's what the current pope believes. when the faithful say that prayers change the world it's true but you have to go further. the world changes because of the deeds of good heads of state politicians and aid and development workers whose prayers alone are not enough but they also don't hurt anyone who has like a. father until is known for always maintaining a good relationship with the government of the day could it be that he's only so tolerant towards homosexuals because he wants to get on the good side of politicians who have pursued liberal policies in this respect for years. christopher street day is just around the corner it's a big event in the 2 acre district attended by people from all over spain. visitors

to san antonio are impressed by father and his open church. but it's a last minute the priest withdrew permission for us to film the blessing of a gay couple church doctrine forbids such blessings. perhaps father and hill was afraid of getting on the wrong side of the bishop. thomas i've got i've got a famous by coming here but it's going to get let's draw the curtains one of you at the front of you at the side and you at the other side. are. here to cause problems. that we're closing the curtains now because of the football match and i think there are those who live on spain's national team was playing that evening and the game was going to be screened in san antonio jaime and the other volunteers had a lot to do. you have any more chairs. these ones aren't as heavy. if you come on we can carry to. look at the check of the. shoulder and i realized that i was going to find it difficult at 1st because it isn't easy. i

think. that with time i'm really beginning to enjoy ask him to working with others seeing that i can help him i feel useful again. that i'm doing something to help people in need out here and that's good for me. the mission if i think. as far as father and hill is concerned the poor in the homeless should not be stopped from participating in big social events that means soccer loving spanish people should be able to watch matches. the. soft drinks and snacks were supplied to add to the enjoyment of the evening. i. was. right. maria was also planning to attend the public screening of the match in san anton. her teammate bear had

persuaded her to go this women's football tournaments was taking place to mark christopher street day. the 2 women play in one of madrid best teams. but there are lesbians and they're good friends too despite their differences they are is a devout catholic maria has left the church like so many other young spaniards for her being a lesbian lose out being a catholic. her coming out has left deep rift in her family. me about it asked that i should but my stepfather is very religious and he would never accept my like on women friends and then when i told my mother that i was lesbian she had a crisis she kept my coming out a secret she even lied to her husband so much she didn't know. she should break it . many people suffer because of the church or because it's not a place for coming together and a place to face it excludes people. kind of along the lines of if you don't follow

our rules but we don't want you in our club just as it increases in the beginning was a mystery. grew up saying the rosary when she was 12 she was sure she wanted to become a nun but today at the age of 34 she's an active member of spain's women's movement which has been very vocal in the country for many months thousands of women have been taking to the streets almost every week to protest against sexism domestic violence and gender discrimination is clearly set in on more than venice i think the church plays a very important role in maintaining the status quo. is a pretty p.p.o. is it it's always the men who occupy positions of power in the church. and women are always in the 2nd row. even the bible states that menstruation was a punishment because eve had persuaded adam to eat the forbidden fruit and paradise

. in the bible everyone's always massacring each other but who's the evil one it's . not irrational they're going to my life saver i mean they are almost out of being a christian and of helping others and i like that he did i mean but when you're lonely or feeling bad really have a health problem you can find support and relief in the church. you can be free here but it's liberating. i mean really really. after the tournaments 2 women wanted to combine a walk through to a car with a visit to the public screening in san anton. both of them have heard a lot about father and hill and his church into a car but they've never been to santa. maria hasn't been inside a church for many years. the church's double standards its failure to address abuse

and corruption scandals led more than half of spain's young people to turn their backs on the church. and that in a country that was one of the bastions of catholicism in europe. are churches like san antonio the right way to regain significance. certainly many people have come to the public screening of the spain match and it has brought the district's inhabitants together was. that i. during the match emotions run high 7 7. i was i thought the devout catholic there has mixed feelings about opening a church for these kinds of activities i in them i guess and the fact that they're eating and drinking and the church as if it were abolished or it's just respect is that it will exactly yes the church is

a place full credit for contemplation and for nothing else. after the final whistle jaime and the other volunteers hurried to turn san antonio back into a church they only had a few minutes to do it the match went into extra time. mass will have to start a bit later. father and hell was as usual on his cell phone until the very last minute. jaime was accepted into the circle of volunteers now he too was wearing the yellow vest and with a certain amount of pride the last few weeks in the parish had visibly done him good his somber mood had lifted. but father in hell has not brought hime a closer to god the same goes for most of the other homeless people here. their experiences in sun and tone don't have much effect on. their faith or lack of it.

but i mean no. i don't feel closer to the church because of my volunteer work i believe in god just as i've always believed in him. but i am nevertheless incredibly grateful that people like father on trial exist for as long as there are no other people doing the social work. and i wish him all the best for his work. with. the christmas tree day festivities were in full swing now to waco was celebrating tolerance and diversity. what kind of impression had father i'm close open church made on bear and maria. this is what i want to go to church and help them get my faith is about helping your neighbor regardless of sexual orientation shouted out again this is why i can't quite follow you. why. is ford. going to

focus here because you can be a good person without doing good in the sense of the catholic church i am good but not because i'm afraid of ending up in hell if i weren't we would have empathy for my fellow humans i guess that's why i'm a good person i don't need faith for that report of a god the. father i'm shown might not have persuaded maria but the controversial cleric who undoubtedly does much good does have a big following into a coma and his idea of an open church could be a promising model for other places. if

they're attacked they fight back. it seems a rather unfair fight clamps against damage the other day i am. the lions can defend themselves to a mark on the wall. i'll give a good. to for me to. stick to.

once the secret service classic. is in the south. or the story behind the music my i hate the horn agents british. law a times 9th symphony for the world. in 45 minutes on d w. they were abducted by the nazis untaken to germany to be raised as citizens of the world . during world war 2 thousands of polish children suffer the smallest. even today many of them don't know their real parents well.

they've lived with this trauma for decades. telling children the kidnapping campaign of nazi germany starts april 28th monday tell me you. get into tomorrow today the science show on d w coming up. europe's new launch rocket is due to take off in late 2020 what's up with i on the 6. will be doing a little experiment how natural does a digitized voice sound. i miss we look at plants they may seem new but they have their own.