Podcast Summary

Podcast: Todo Concostrina
Episode: Acontece que no es poco | Resumen 1. Vivo rodeado de ratas
Date: July 17, 2023
Host: Nieves Concostrina (A) with collaborator Carlas (B)
Theme: A critical and satirical look at the history and ongoing influence of organized religion—particularly Catholicism—in Spain and beyond, with special emphasis on euphemisms used to mask atrocities and the persistence of religious fraud.

1. Overview of the Episode

This episode kicks off a special “best of” summer series, recapping some of the most striking and controversial historical topics covered during the season, under the irreverent and incisive gaze of Nieves Concostrina. The particular focus here: the power and propaganda of the “multinacional cristiana” (the Christian multinationals), their manipulation of language, and their long history of violence, fraud, and self-interest—summed up in the chapter heading, “Vivo rodeado de ratas” (“I Live Surrounded by Rats”).

2. Key Discussion Points and Insights

A. The Manipulation of Language by the Church

[01:30–03:14]

• Concostrina introduces the core theme: how religious authorities cloak violence and abuse in euphemism.
  • Example: Calling murders “acts of faith,” and calling child abusers “fathers.”
  • Satirical quip: “Convertir el agua en vino fue sólo una prueba. El truco guapo, llegó cuando aprendieron a convertir la fe en oro.” ("Turning water into wine was just a test run. The real trick came when they learned to convert faith into gold.")
• The Inquisition is likened to a "banda terrorista" (terrorist gang), backed by the royalty (Isabel and Fernando), burning supposed heretics—most notably wealthy Jewish converts—in 15th-century Spain.

B. Violence and Wealth-Driven Persecution

[03:14–05:58]

• Religious violence was profit-motivated: “Judíos pobres no interesaba, interesaba el judío rico.” (“They weren’t interested in poor Jews; they wanted the rich ones.”)
• The pattern: Once the wealthy Jewish victims ran out, attention shifted to other heretics—like Protestants and the Cathar Christians massacred at Montségur (225 burned alive).
• The episode highlights hypocrisy: “Se inventan los siete pecados, pero son los que más cometen.” ("They invented the seven deadly sins, but they’re the ones who commit them most.")

C. Foundational Myths and Absence of Evidence

[06:14–08:03]

• Concostrina discusses how sacred texts are used by all religions to justify earthly ambitions:
  • “Todas las religiones utilizan los mismos instrumentos.” (B, [06:14])
• She pokes fun at the relentless (and fruitless) quest for archaeological evidence for biblical events and relics: “No han encontrado absolutamente nada.” (“They haven’t found a single thing.”)
• Wry aside: “La única y auténtica Arca de la Alianza es la de Indiana Jones.” (“The only real Ark of the Covenant is the one in Indiana Jones.”)

D. The “Shared” God and Divergence over Wine

[08:03–10:23]

• Exploration of how Jews, Christians, and Muslims share the same God and even angelic messengers (notably Gabriel), yet interpret doctrines like prohibition of alcohol in wildly different ways.
  • “El ángel Gaby, que yo le llamo, es el mismo, ¿no? Pero a unos les prohibió el vino, a otros no.” (A, [09:22])
  • Christians: “No sueltan la botella ni en misa.” (“They don’t let go of the bottle, even at mass.”)
  • Jews: Numerous ritual restrictions, “vino kosher.”
  • Muslims: Absolute prohibition, leading to clandestine drinking.

E. Recent Papal History: Ratzinger and the Problem of Papal Retirement

[10:23–12:19]

• Marks the death of ex-Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger), recalling the “extravagant” situation of having two living popes—an anomaly that, according to Concostrina, "no debe volver a repetirse" (“shouldn’t happen again”).
• Satirical analysis of papal succession:
  • “Si el Espíritu Santo te ha puesto ahí, te comes el puesto, no te acojonas y te vas.” (“If the Holy Spirit put you there, you take the job, you don't chicken out and leave.”)
• Briefly touches on rumors, intrigue, and how past popes “se lo montó bien.”

F. The Virgen Fraud: Marian Apparitions in Spanish History

[12:19–14:43]

• Discusses the explosion of reported Marian apparitions following the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic (1931)—usually “a los paisanos analfabetos, o niños, o gente sin cultura.”
  • Concostrina exposes the linkage between these apparitions and political messaging (“La Virgen me ha dicho que tenemos que acabar con la República”).
  • Historicizes the fraud: Apparitions and installation of Virgin statues were used to build churches and consolidate Christian control during the conquest.
  • Calls attention to the censored documentary “Rocío,” which investigated the murky business behind the cult of the Virgen del Rocío.

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [01:35] Nieves Concostrina:
  “La multinacional cristiana es muy tramposa y todos sus propagandistas, curas, obispos, papas fieles, también son muy fulleros la mayoría, sobre todo con el lenguaje para sus peores acciones siempre tienen un eufemismo a mano.”

• [03:40] Nieves Concostrina:
  “La acusación llevaba implícita la confiscación de todos los bienes... Un judío pobre no interesa, interesaba el judío rico.”

• [04:35] Nieves Concostrina:
  “Aquellos cátaros decían que todos los sacramentos eran una chorrada porque todos se los habían inventado, salvo el bautismo...”

• [07:10] Nieves Concostrina:
  “No han encontrado absolutamente nada. La única y auténtica Arca de la Alianza es la de Indiana Jones.”

• [09:22] Nieves Concostrina:
  “El ángel Gaby, que yo le llamo, es el mismo, ¿no? Pero a unos les prohibió el vino, a otros no.”

• [11:15] Nieves Concostrina:
  “Los papas tienen que morirse como Dios manda... Si el Espíritu Santo te ha puesto ahí, te comes el puesto, no te acojonas y te vas.”

• [13:05] Nieves Concostrina:
  “Siempre tienen que ser pastorcitos analfabetos o niños o gente sin cultura… La Virgen me ha dicho que tenemos que acabar con la República, que ese era el mensaje.”

• [14:20] Nieves Concostrina:
  “No se pierdan el documental Rocío, el documental censurado en 1981 porque puso al descubierto lo que esconde el negocio rociero en particular y la estafa de las vírgenes en general.”

4. Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:55: Division of "best of" episodes by satirical category
• 01:30–03:14: Euphemisms and violence from the Church (Inquisition, faith turned to gold)
• 03:14–05:58: Economic motives, Montségur massacre, critique of Church hypocrisy
• 06:14–08:03: Sacred texts as tools of power; mythmaking and the search for evidence
• 08:03–10:23: Divergent religious practices on wine; shared roots and contradictions
• 10:23–12:19: The “problem” of living popes; Ratzinger’s retirement
• 12:25–14:43: Marian apparitions as religious-political fraud; the business of cults and censored documentary

5. Style and Tone

Nieves Concostrina’s style is satirical, incisive, and irreverent, combining historical rigor with sharp, often biting humor. Her storytelling is direct, conversational, and peppered with memorable turns of phrase and cultural references—she doesn’t shy away from controversy or from targeting entrenched religious interests.

6. Closing

This episode is a whirlwind tour through centuries of religious power, hypocrisy, fraud, and mystification, pulling back the curtain on how the “multinational” Church has shaped Spanish (and world) history through violence, manipulation, and spectacle. Even listeners unfamiliar with the intricate details of Spanish history will find this a bracing, eye-opening, and darkly funny account, setting the tone for the rest of the “best of” retrospective.