(OSV News) — The Spanish bishops’ conference was criticized by the head of Spain’s far-right VOX party after the church expressed religious concerns following a local council’s measure that would effectively ban Muslims from holding religious events in certain areas. Religious demonstrations and freedom of worship, the bishops said, are protected by the Spanish Constitution as rights of religious freedom and must be respected. “Limiting these rights violates the fundamental rights of every human being, and it affects not just one religious group but all religious denominations, as well as non-believers,” the bishops said. The measure — to ban religious gatherings in municipal sports centers — was proposed by VOX and passed by Jumilla’s City Council members, the majority of whom belong to the center-right Partido Popular party. We have not prohibited anyone from praying,” she said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El País.