Basque Country Prayer Points for February 2026

Sampie Brown on March 14, 2026

  • In a significant legal move on February 25th, the Spanish government officially declassified documents related to the 1981 coup attempt. Basque political leaders have sought this transparency for decades. This release is seen as a legal milestone for historical memory and the “right to truth” regarding state actions during that period.
    • Pray for the historians and families as they review these documents. Pray that this transparency would lead to a greater sense of justice and healing for those impacted from the events, and that truth would be handled with integrity.
  • There has been a reported increase in mental health needs for young people across the Basque Country this month. Many are struggling with anxiety related to the “stability gap” in employment and the difficulty of finding affordable housing. Local clinics are seeing record numbers of consultations as these pressures continue to impact the younger generation.
    • Pray for young Basques struggling with their mental well-being and for those feeling stuck in their current situations. Pray for families and medical professionals to have the resources and compassion needed to support those in distress.
  • A priest in Gipuzkoa has gained attention for his work advocating for the social justice of immigrants, particularly following the new Spanish law to regularize 500,000 migrants. While the law change is a major shift, many newcomers still face challenges with housing and social exclusion as they look for work in the region.
    • Pray for the migrants as they navigate these new legal changes and seek to build lives here. Pray for the local churches and volunteers who are working to provide housing and support, and for a spirit of hospitality.
  • The Basque Department of Education is moving forward with plans to close several primary classrooms for the 2026-27 school year. This is due to a fall in the school-age population and a trend of couples having children later in life. While there was a small uptick in births recently, the overall population in 2025 continued to decline, creating challenges for schools.
    • Pray for the families and teachers affected by these classroom closures. Pray for wisdom for leaders as they address the economic reasons why people are delaying having children, and for the health of local communities facing these changes.
  • Osakidetza (Basque healthcare system) is finalizing its audit following the incident where expired vaccines were given to ~250 infants. While health officials have confirmed there is no medical risk and the revaccination process is almost finished, the error has placed a spotlight on the system’s oversight protocols and clinical workload.
    • Pray for the families involved, for their peace of mind and the health of their children. Pray for the healthcare workers and administrators as they implement new safety standards and work to restore public trust in the system.

The verse for the month:

Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Titus 2:14 NIV

News for prayer for Week of October 3, 2022

Sampie Brown on October 9, 2022

Headline News:

The Basque medical system is continuing to feel the effects of the pandemic. The number of people waiting for an operation has increased 20% over the last 2 years. In 2006 the Basque Government established that the maximum time to wait for surgery should be less than 180 days. Currently about 1000 people are outside of that limit. Also, the wait time to enter a residential home for older people is seeing improvements down to 3 months. Before the pandemic it could be up to 7 months. For a person with a disability, they may have to wait up to 500 days before entering a facility.

With school starting statistics are starting to be released about the makeup of classes. A statistic that was highlighted is the number of foreign students in the education system. The number has increased 15% over the last 5 years. A majority of those students are coming from North Africa, with South America also being a large percentage. Also, the legislation approved changes in the school system which are still working to be finalized. They were hoping to have those finished before this school year; however, it’s now looking like the changes will need to be implemented next year with the delay in government finalization.

Economy:

The Euribor, which is how interest rates are set for mortgages in Spain, has been climbing since the start of 2022. This is affecting people buying houses. The government is looking at alternatives on how to address the problem given the rise in the rates. A rise is also being seen on consumer loans and credit cards given the changes with the Euribor.

The Basque government is attempting to do all it can to help the business sector. They recently passed a 14 million € package to help them during the current economic situation. September also saw inflation fall to 9%, with the main driver of the reduction being reduction in electricity and fuel costs.

The IBEX35 ended last week on a downward trend closing at 7366.80, a 2.86% decrease over the previous week.

Political:

The end of September 2022 marked 40 years since ETA started the process to disband due to the initial violence not having the intended effect. It would take another ~30 years before the organization was fully disbanded. With that they started to shift their strategy.

Last week Pedro Sánchez tested positive for COVID and had to cancel some of his engagements while he recovered. The new leader of the PP was recently interviewed. The interview covered a range of topics: Spain’s financial situation, status of Catalonia, lack of meetings between him and Sánchez since April and the upcoming election. Urkullu’s interactions with Sánchez were recently documented. The most recent request was an email sent on September 21 about the Basque’s desire for self-government, although to date no response has been received.

International:

With Putin having made a military requirement for males to show up for recruitment, the Ukraine SOS in Basque Country received about 50 calls for assistance from Russian’s trying to flee the country. It was also noted that the number of Ukrainians still in Basque Country has reduced as they return home or seek refuge in other parts of Europe. Currently ~900 students have registered and are making plans for education in the Basque system, which is slightly less than last year.

Other international headlines included: Political changes in Italy, Brazilian presidential election results, hurricane Ian’s landfall in Florida and various themes regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Sports:

Real Sociedad played against Sheriff Tiraspol, with the result being a 2-0 victory. With that victory the team is in 7th place overall in LaLiga. The next game is Sunday October 9 against Villareal.

Gipuzkoa Basket had its first game on Friday October 7. The result was a 68-62 win. The next game is on Tuesday October 12 against Castello and will be the home opener to the season.

The Spanish national soccer team has played two games in the UEFA Nations League. The first was a 1-2 loss against Switzerland. Next was a 1-0 win against Portugal. The next game is November 23 against Costa Rica in the World Cup group stage.

Prayer Points and verse for the week:

Prayers points:

  • Basque Medical System
  • Political Interactions
  • Economy

The verse for the week:

No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

1 Samuel 2:2 NLT