In Spain the Catholic Church is threatening to close one of its own churches. The archbishop of Madrid says priests there are breaking the rules by dressing in jeans, skipping confession and offering communion with regular bread. The church is in a poor neighborhood of Madrid. It counts among its congregation drug addicts, prostitutes and the homeless. The priests at the church of San Carlos Borromeo defend their informal style, saying it's the only way to reach the people most in need. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Madrid.

Hadden: The name of this Madrid suburb is Entrevias, literally 'between railroad lines'. It's a poor area that's struggling ppling with drugs and crime. Many of those who attend its one catholic church are caught in that struggle. Like 40 year old Luis Miguel.

Luis Miguel: "I was strung out on drugs for nearly 10 years, he says. Then I went to jail for a decade. I've passed through all the jails in Spain."

Hadden: Luis Miguel has his arm around his girlfriend, an immigrant from Cape Verde who's here illegally. They both live on the street. On Sunday afternoons, they come to the San Carlos Borromeo church to lift their spirits and to get a hot meal.

Luis Miguel: "This is the only church that helps me, that listens to what I say. It's like a big family."

Luis Miguel and his girlfriend

Hadden: Inside the church, a couple of hundred people sit on old pews and folding chairs as father Enrique begins the mass. It's not a typical service. For starters, Enrique is dressed in blue jeans and a sweater. He sits at an ordinary table in the center of the hall. He reads a passage from the Bible. Then he opens the floor to a discussion. The topic – the archbishop of Madrid's demand that this church adopt official Catholic protocol or face closure.

One man says, if they try to tear down this church I'll be here. And they'll have to pull me down too! The official church is a bunch of criminals! he says.

Another cautions against becoming too self righteous. He says, if we says we're the good guys and they're the bad guys, then we're doing just what they're doing. If we really say that we accept everyone, then we have to embrace the archbishop, and get him back on the right path.

No frills altar at San Carlos Borromeo

Church officials say they applaud San Carlos Borromeo's work with the poor. But they say when a church abandons the official liturgy, by definition it ceases to be Catholic. They have proposed converting the space into a community outreach center.

The Archbishop's office could not be reached for an interview. But conservative commentators have been discussing the issue on TV and radio. Jose Ramon Navarro covers religion for the newspaper La Razon. He says the church of San Carlos Borromeo insults Catholics week after week by skipping confession and using regular bread instead of communion wafers.

Navarro: "The priests of San Carlos Borromeo are obliged to respond to the church's demands. But instead they've been seeking publicity, trying to play the dispute out in the media."

Hadden: And the publicity has been attracting new followers. This student, named Marcos Iglesias, says he came 25 miles to check out what's been going on at San Carlos Borromeo.

Iglesias: "I'm not religious but I loved this service. I'm don't believe in God But I think I'd join this congregation."

Hadden: Sundays at San Carlos have become a bit of a media circus. So much so that reporters are generally banned now from the service. But during the public hot lunch afterwards, Father Enrique is eager to talk.

He says he doesn't want a fight with church heirarchy, but he says his congregation is wary of anything that smacks of authority or tradition.

Father Enrique: "I once showed a communion wafer to a group of young homeless guys and asked them to describe it. They said they thought it was something magical that they couldn't relate to. It held no meaning for them. These guys relate to ordinary bread."

Parishioners enjoying a free lunch after mass

Hadden: If the archishop does shut down San Carlos Borromeo, father Enrique says he's convinced that his most of his parishioners will leave the church altogether. But he says he still keep reaching out to them, from a nearby park if need be.

For The World I'm Gerry Hadden Madrid