FRAY LEOPOLDO NEEDS A NEW MIRACLE
By David Eade – Costa del Sol News
Fray Leopoldo de Alpandeíre, named after his birthplace in the Serranía de Ronda village, was beatified last September 12 in Granada. The Capuchin friar served the poor of the city for many years - he is widely followed by Catholics in Andalucía and beyond.
The friar is now on the road to being declared a saint but one of the miracles that propelled him to be beatified has been discounted by the Vatican from the process. This is because it predates his being beatified and miracles for his sainthood have to have occurred after last September.
Fray Alfonso Ramírez Peralbo, who heads the cause towards sainthood, visited the Holy Office in the Vatican on February 9, the 55 th anniversary of the friar’s death. It was then he was given the news which he admits left him shocked.
The previously admitted miracle happened to Ileana Martínez who interceded to Fray Leopoldo and was cured of an aneurism in her aorta. Patrizio Polisca, the medical consultant to the Congregation for the Cause of the Saints and the pope’s personal doctor, had ruled her cure out because of the timing.
Fray Alfonso is not deterred. He says the process to have Fray Leopoldo made a saint continues and adds that many letters have been received from people who credit the friar with being responsible for miraculous cures. These will now be studied closely to see if any meet the strict requirements demanded by the Vatican.
PP LOSS
José Herrera has resigned from the Partido Popular in Ronda after 24 years on the council. He is angry that he is not on the PPs list for the elections saying the decision was personally motivated. Herrera has twice been mayor of Ronda and had his own party before linking with the PP. He is expected to stand as an independent in May.
NO APPEAL
A Málaga court has ruled that an appeal by the Asociación Silvema Serranía de Ronda against an earlier court decision not to proceeded with a case against the mayor of Ronda over the Merinos golf development would not be allowed. The Málaga Prosecutor had recommended the case be dropped as although the mayor had acted unethically he had not broken the law.
DIGITAL POLICE
Out go the walkie talkies. Local police in Ronda are now using a digital system pioneered in Andalucía which means the control knows the exact location of all its officers and can respond to emergency calls within minutes. The 70 officers will have what looks like a mobile phone which sends a signal that shows up on a screen in the command centre.
WELCOME SIGNS
Ronda’s delegate for commerce, British PSOE councillor Charlotte Wilmot, recently presented the 45 elements of the new specially created sign system for the town’s open commercial centre which is one of those officially recognised by the Andalucía government. Around 132,000 euros has been invested on signs including welcome notices, commercial directories, publicity hoardings for the 100 businesses that make up the CCA.
MILLION STEPS
Málaga’s health authority and Montejaque town hall have launched a scheme to improve the health of those living in the municipality. It’s part of the Andalucía health service’s “Por un millón de pasos” campaign aimed to getting the elderly and chronically ill to walk at least a million steps every month ideally in a group so it becomes an obligation and social activity.
BETTER ACCESS
The Ronda Norte health centre which serves 17,000 people in the town and Serranía has seen a number of recent improvements. These include better access including the installation of a lift plus the opening of a special unit for pregnant women. The 127,000 euros lift is specially adapted for the handicapped allowing easy use by those in wheelchairs or using other walking aids.
WIFI PARK
This summer sees the opening of the Edificio Neotechnológica in Ronda. Over 500,000 euros has been spent on the building which on its top floor will have 60 computers all with high speed internet connection. This is part of a campaign to ensure everybody has access to the internet - outside will be a park with Wi Fi installed permitting free access to users.
TO GAUCÍN
The name of Bernardino Gaona is well known in Arriate as he became deputy mayor in 1995 then mayor in 1999 to the coming elections. The Izquierda Unida politician is not standing in May – well at least not in Arriate –instead he pops up in Gaucín where he is one of the reserve candidates as the party looks to freshen up it appeal.
TAJO DEFENDERS
The project to have a raptor spectacular at the auditorium over the Tajo by Ronda’s famous bullring now has some serious opposition. A dozen associations and political groups have combined to preserve the gorge which they want declared a national monument and stop the demonstration of these hunters as they say they will threaten birds nesting below. They want the spectacular moved elsewhere.
ILLEGAL ROAD
Ecologists in the Serranía de Ronda have reported works to create an illegal road by the arroyo del Algarrobo in Genalguacil to the Andalucía environment ministry. They say its invaded the public domain on the river bank. They are also angry over the extraction of filling material from a nearby site – an action which they say has not been licensed by the authorities.
PIG KILLINGS
Residents of the rural areas of Puerto Saúco and Ronda la Vieja are alarmed after for the third time in a year seven farms were raided on one night. Seven Iberian pigs were killed at a farm and in all farm equipment worth over 20,000 euros was stolen. One raid was prevented when the dogs alerted the owner who turned on security lights.
