Berkley Center

When it comes to religious history, Spain has a pretty rich, if not tumultuous, past. Although home to the "Moors" or Muslims, as well as Jews, Spain has traditionally been a homogenous Catholic country. However, many different religious and ethnic groups have called this land home. From the viewpoint of a German/Irish American Catholic studying abroad in Spain, I have had many interesting observations about religion, its role in society, and what it means to be Catholic in a "Catholic" country.

Before I get into my personal experiences, I think it is interesting to consider Spain on the surface level. In Spain, being Catholic is important, but being religious is not. For example, here in Salamanca, a small university city of about 180,000, most people are Catholic, but few appear to be religious. Most students here from Georgetown are staying with Catholic families, many of whom asked us on the first day "Eres Católico?" or, "Eres un creyente?" meaning "Are you Catholic?" and "Are you a true believer?" While it doesn't really matter whether or not you are Catholic, saying yes is certainly a plus. Unlike other "religious" countries, however, whether or not you follow through with these beliefs seems to be irrelevant.

I have thought of it in the following way: in America, we are identified by our religion, but generally I have found we are first identified more so by our cultural or ethnic background (where you live in the United States, or where your ancestors are from). A person may identify himself first as Italian or Caucasian before identifying as Catholic. An exception may occur when a religion defines someone in more of a cultural/ethnic way than a religious way. For example, Jewish Americans may first and foremost identify themselves as Jewish rather than their original nationality, perhaps Polish or Russian. This may even hold true for Jewish Americans who are not religious at all. For example, a non-practicing Jewish person may very well identify himself first and foremost as Jewish, whereas I have found that a non-practicing Catholic will not primarily identify himself as Catholic in America, but instead maybe as Portuguese.

Here in Spain, however, "Catholic" is more than just what religion you are; it is also who you are. It is considered an important label and identifier and used as a primary way to identify oneself. Before coming to Spain, I figured that going to church would be a fairly frequent, fairly important occurrence. That being said, I have yet to attend church here in Spain, whereas when I am in Georgetown I do attend fairly regularly. I have yet to see a member of my host family attend church, and I have only heard of one member of our program attending church. This is not to pass judgment of any kind, however I find it interesting because I just naturally assumed it would be a bigger deal here in Spain. I do still plan on attending some Masses; however, the fact that I have not felt more compelled to attend and have not seen more people attending says something about the religiosity of this country in general.

Furthermore, before ending this first letter, I would like to comment on one other religious point of interest. In the United States, at Georgetown for example, it is not uncommon for students who are non-religious, who may even be atheists, to study theology. A Muslim may even study Catholic theology, while a Catholic may concentrate in other religious studies. I am taking a class at the Catholic university here in Salamanca, and unless you are studying to become a religious leader, you do not major in or even take theology classes. For example, the class I am taking is filled with seven other men studying to become priests. When I mention to my Spanish peers that I am taking a theology class, I get funny looks because they cannot understand why I would be studying theology if I do not intend to become a priest.

Overall, I am greatly enjoying my time here in Spain, and it is very interesting to see the role religion plays in a country which appears to be so homogeneous and has such a rich past. By the time I write my next letter I plan to have attended Mass and will be able to comment on this, as well as on how this country in transition handles religion and what its religious future looks like. Hasta Pronto!