Spain

The religious life of the southern European country of Spain is characterized by a deep-rooted Catholicism and the major structural changes that have taken place in Spanish society in recent decades. This entry centers on three aspects. First, it briefly outlines the historical reasons for the hegemonic character of Catholicism up to recent times; second, it analyzes the extent to which Spanish society is becoming secularized; and, finally, it touches on two issues that are currently of great importance: the formation of a new religious plurality as a consequence of the arrival of immigration and the debate over laicity of the state.

The political unification achieved by the Catholic monarchs in the 15th century, together with the expulsion of Muslims and Jews, resulted in religious homogenization and, as a consequence, a Catholic hegemony that prevailed right up to the 20th century. It was not until the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries that the rise of socialist and anarchist tendencies led to the emergence of an antireligious (in particular anticlerical) movement. The confrontation between “the two Spains” culminated in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), which broke out following the military uprising of General Franco—legitimized in terms of a Crusade—against the democratically constituted power of the Second Republic. The end of the conflict and the victory of Franquist troops marked the beginning of a dictatorial regime (1939–1975) that experts have defined as National Catholicism. Based on the alliance between the Catholic Church and the state, it was a regime founded on the ideals of state confessionalism and the complete Catholicization of society.

The democratic period that followed the Franquist era has brought about major changes in Spanish society. However, we would be making a grave mistake if, as sometimes happens, we were to attribute political change to changes in Spaniards’ religiosity. In fact, the secularization of Spanish [Page 1215]society had essentially already begun in the 1960s during a time of industrial growth. This had reached Spain much later than the rest of Europe and was accompanied by the rise of the consumer society.

To what depth has this secularization process taken place? First, it should be pointed out that Spain has undergone a profound process of differentiation, and this has resulted in religion ceasing to be the sacred center of society and becoming just another sphere. In keeping with this, the Catholic Church is no longer a central institution; it has become an institution like any other, albeit one that has adopted the role of a strong lobby. A contributing factor to this change in the position occupied by the Church in Spanish society has been the Spanish constitution, dating from 1978, which proclaims that “no confession will have a State character.”

With respect to the secularization of individuals, the data we have available indicate that this is a process that is taking place gradually. If we limit ourselves for the time being to the native population (the immigrant population will be dealt with later), it will be noted that there has been a considerable decline in both religious beliefs and practices. Nevertheless, this has not been the case with regard to religious self-definition: According to the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (the most important sociological research center for studying Spaniards’ opinions and attitudes), the percentage of the native population who declared themselves to be Catholic in 2008 was still very high (73.5%). These data reflect how firmly rooted Catholicism is in Spain, although not orthodox Catholicism; rather, it is a cultural form that distances itself from the teachings of the Church. This is shown by the fact that a significant proportion of people who define themselves as Catholic do not believe in many of the dogmas of this religion. Fewer than 20% of Spaniards say they attend mass at least once a week, while about half say they never go.

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