A court in Spain acquitted a priest, the Rev. Custodio Ballester of Barcelona, last week after the man endured a legal battle lasting eight years for making comments against Islam in 2017. 

“I thank God and the Christian people who supported me with their prayers and their presence in court,” Ballester stated to Fox News Digital. 

The Association of Muslims Against Islamophobia filed a complaint in 2017 against Ballester, along with another priest and a journalist, after Ballester criticized Islam on a talk show where all three individuals were present. Prosecutors sought three years in prison for both priests and four years for the journalist. After nearly a decade, the Provincial Court of Malaga acquitted all three. 

The complaint came after the priest commented during an interview in 2017 on an article he had written in 2016. In the article, titled “The Impossible Dialogue with Islam,” Ballester stated, in part, that “Islam does not allow for dialogue. You either believe or you are an infidel who must be subdued one way or another.” 

Despite last week’s victory, Ballester fears the prosecution will appeal the decision and carry the case to a higher court. 

“My sentence has greatly angered the prosecutor’s office because it halts all proceedings against freedom of expression,” Ballester said. “They are going to appeal to the higher courts.” 

On Monday, Franklin Graham posted his support for Ballester on X. 

“It’s unbelievable that this Catholic priest from Spain had to go to trial to defend his right to speak the truth about radical Islam,” Graham stated. “I appreciate the fact that Father Custodio Ballester wouldn’t back down, even in the face of a jail term.” 

Story by Lynn Arias 

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