Las tensiones político-eclesiásticas en torno a Fermín Yzurdiaga, 1936-1939

Fermín Yzurdiaga was a priest from Navarra who carried out an extremely visible political and propaganda activity for Falange, during the Spanish Civil War. Having been born in Pamplona, he carried out some pioneering cultural projects in Franco's Spain: the Arriba Espa a newspaper and a magazine called Jerarquía. Besides, in May 1937, Franco appointed him as Falange’s Press and Propaganda chief. As a clergyman, Yzurdiaga aspired to reconcile Catholicism and Falange. However, due to his constant political visibility, his speeches and sermons, his frequent controversies with many catholics, and the uncertainty about the increasingly totalitarian character of the State that Yzurdiaba was working for, he was seen by his Church superiors with increasing suspicion. The Bishop of Pamplona, Marcelino Olaechea, required him to resign both from his political activity at the end of 1937, and from his journalistic role in late 1938. Our goal is to analyze the early clashes between civil and religious authorities to control the direction of the priest’s initiatives. El sacerdote navarro Fermín Yzurdiaga desarrolló una notable actividad política y periodística al servicio de la Falange durante la guerra civil espa ola. Impulsó desde Pamplona algunos proyectos culturales pioneros en la Espa a franquista: el diario Arriba Espa a y la revista Jerarquía. Franco le encumbró a la jefatura de prensa y propaganda de la Falange unificada, en mayo de 1937. Como clérigo, Yzurdiaga aspiró a conciliar catolicismo y falangismo. Pero sus superiores eclesiásticos le vieron con creciente recelo, por su incesante visibilidad política, por sus arengas y sermones, por sus habituales polémicas con católicos y por la incertidumbre sobre el rumbo totalitario del Estado al que Yzurdiaba servía. Su obispo Marcelino Olaechea exigió que renunciase a su protagonismo público: a la actividad política, a finales de 1937; y a la periodística, a fines de 1938. Este trabajo pretende dibujar aquel temprano choque de intereses entre los poderes civil y religioso por orientar la identidad de las iniciativas del cura azul.