Catholicism and Liberalism in Spain: A Happy Coexistence as God Becomes Irrelevant

By: Gretta Digbeu

March 15, 2012

According to a 2009 survey conducted by the Sociological Research Center (Centro de Investigaciones Sociologicas, CIS), roughly 75 percent of Spaniards identify themselves as Catholic. Only 15 percent, however, attend Mass on a weekly basis, while 55 percent almost never go. Moreover, 20 percent of Spaniards call themselves atheists or nonbelievers. These are striking figures, especially for those of us who still think of Spain as the age-old nucleus of fervent Catholicism and loyalty to the Holy See.

Although I live with a fairly devout Catholic family, religion has never been a topic of conversation, nor have I felt the weight of their faith in their daily habits and activities. They attend Mass every Sunday with their four children, but that is about as far as their religiosity goes. One day, while I was browsing the site of a local theater company looking at prices for a provocative and overtly sexual cabaret show titled “The Hole,” my host parents told me that they had seen it and enjoyed it.

This surprised me, given that the advertisements for the production were incredibly vulgar. I had seen the photo of the barely clothed woman in a suggestive position time and time again, on metro platforms and bus tops, but I never failed to feel a certain mix of awe and shock. Even more surprising to me was the fact that none of the advertisements had been covered in any sort of graffiti, especially when Madrid’s residents otherwise seem eager to deface public spaces with their moral and political views.

For a country closely tied to the Catholic Church and so recently liberated from its rigid institutionalization, Spain has shown me nothing of the stiff moral codes and social taboos that one would expect from its society.

In my gender relations class, while discussing women’s lack of access to positions of high rank in many present-day organizations, our professor denounced the Catholic Church and its treatment of women and passed around a photo of the men who are at the top of the hierarchy. Although the students disputed her argument, their responses mostly consisted of dismissive comments about the Church’s backward dogmas and its inherent inability to adapt to historical changes and realities.

In my law class, my professor made a derisive allusion to the Church while admonishing his students for their passive behavior. He said that he refused to teach in the manner of a religious figure, who is content to receive nothing but amens and unquestioned acceptance of doctrine from the congregation.

Spanish students are champions of advocating for their rights and denouncing anything and everything they deem unfair. The campus grounds of the Universidad Complutense feature all sorts of posters, signs, and graffiti with inflammatory slogans, and the presence of socialist, feminist, and anarchist groups is overwhelming. Yet nowhere does one see the issue of abortion taken up or even mentioned. Christian student alliances, pro-life, and pro-choice student associations are completely absent from the plethora of student organizations that make their presence known on every surface of academic buildings.

Madrid’s youths seem to have completely accepted the separation of sexuality and reproduction, and they loudly defend their right to have sexually healthy practices with whomever they wish. The LGBTQ Alliance shamelessly displays images of gay couples engaging in intimate acts, puts forth unapologetic slogans, and leaves pamphlets especially designed for non-heterosexual couples.

While the United States is in the midst of a heated debate over the Obama administration’s new contraception law, and conservative commentators like Rush Limbaugh make vicious comments about American women’s sexual conduct, Spanish women can purchase birth control easily and cheaply over the counter. Without having to show any form of ID, Spanish women have access to whatever birth control they want by simply showing a pharmacist their depleted pack or by naming a contraceptive brand. Women who obtain prescriptions from public medical practitioners may even get birth control for free.

The changes that have occurred in Spain since the death of Franco are extraordinary, and the pace at which they have been adopted is astonishing. Spain was the third country in the world to legalize gay marriage and adoption nationwide. Under the universal healthcare system, the Spanish government covers up to 75 percent of abortions that meet certain criteria. When one also considers the widespread public displays of affection, the poorly regulated public drinking policies, and the condom vending machines on metro platforms and corridors, it does not take too long to realize that an increasingly hedonistic and radical generation of young people is replacing Catholic social conservatives.

Nevertheless, the mark of Catholicism in Spain is indelible. In 2011, Madrid hosted World Youth Day 2011 (for the second time since 1989), which, exceeding all expectations, drew more than one million people to the streets and turned out to be the largest Catholic event ever staged in Spain. Themed “Firm in the Faith,” many secularists protested and denounced state funding of a religiously themed event. However, none of World Youth Day’s programs were disturbed, and it turned out to be a tremendous success. Moreover, in accordance with article 27.3 of the 1978 Spanish constitution, the government is responsible for subsidizing private schools that educate children in Catholic religious doctrine. An overwhelming majority of the Spanish population continues to be baptized, and Spain continues to be known for its lively Holy Week festivals and solemn processions, as well as for its widespread idolization of saints and their relics.

Perhaps my experience in Madrid is only giving me a glimpse into the most radical segment of the population, and the Catholic faith still has a stronghold in Spain. Nevertheless, when we look past the flashy façade, it is clear that stringent standards of moral conduct are quickly disappearing and that Catholicism is in many respects becoming a mere set of cultural traditions. The drastic social transformations engendered by the transition to democracy continue to unravel, and with the country now facing a staggering 23 percent unemployment rate, disillusionment with government policies has taken priority over the status of religion. After reading Shea Houlihan’s letter from Oxford, I am inclined to say that in many respects, God is not relevant in Spain.

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