Religion and Politics in Spain and PortugalSee also Europe. 1. Brief Introduction 1. Brief Introduction to Religion and Politics in Spain and Portugal Spain has a population of over 46.8 million, with a population growth rate of .057% (July 2011 est). It had a 2010 HDI ranking of #20 and a 2010 CPI ranking of 6.1. The CIA Factbook lists Spain as 94% Roman Catholic and 6% other. Portugal has a population of over 10.8 million, with a population growth rate of .21% (July 2011 est). It had a 2010 HDI ranking of #40 and a 2010 CPI ranking of 6.0. The 2001 Census listed Portugal as 84.5% Roman Catholic, 2.2% other Christian, 9% unknown, and 3.9% none. The more pertinent political-religious questions in both countries concern the frequency of religious practice and the relationship of church and state. The Manuel article (below) is particularly good at paralleling the background of clerical/anticlerical cleavages and the democratization of both Portugal and Spain out of the authoritarian Salazar and Franco regimes. Victory in the Civil War (1936) meant the absolute triumph of “Catholic Spain” over more modern elements, but Casanova (p. 81) terms the resulting massive re-Catholicizing of Spanish society as “rather superficial.” However, states Casanova, it did bring about three important changes that led to the later transformation of the Spanish Church. First, groups of autonomous and respected Catholic intellectuals emerged. Second, the Church and the people created two innerworldly movements, Cursillos de Cristiandad and Opus Dei. Third, a genuine social Catholicism confronted both the Catholic hierarchy and the Franco regime. Both Casanova and Manuel emphasize that changes in the respective societies, the national churches, and the international Catholic Church at Vatican Council II made democracy possible. Entrance into the European Union in 1986 also solidified the Iberian Peninsula as part of democratic Europe. Manuel parallels the Spanish and Portuguese experience in three phases: 1) Anticlerical Republican Regimes (1900s-1930s); 2) Proclerical Corporatist Regimes (1930s-1970s); and 3) The New Democratic Regimes. Casanova identifies two 1971 events as the turning points in the transformation of Spanish Catholicism. The moderate Cardinal Vicente Enrique y Taracón was elected president of the national episcopal conference and the First Joint National Assembly of Bishops and Priests made a celebrated public confession of sins committed by the church during the Civil War. For turning points, Manuel points to the period 1974-76 in Portugal and the compromises of the “night of Jose Luis” [restaurant where negotiations took place] on May 22, 1978 in Spain. Franco’s chosen successor, King Juan Carlos, worked with the many political parties and with Cardinal Taracón. Moderate Socialist governments followed in both cases. The center-right People’s Party, led by José Mária Anzar, won the Spanish elections of 1996 and 2000. They were also favored in the election of March 14, 2004, until their mismanagement of the Madrid bombings (March 11, 2004) resulted in the election of the Socialists under José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The election meant a significant change in foreign policy, as Anzar had been one of the United States’ strongest allies in Iraq, despite a 90% disapproval of the war among the population. Zapatero withdrew Spanish troops, legalized same-sex marriage (2005), and granted more autonomy to Catalonia. The Zapatero government and the Spanish church have developed tension over moral policies like same-sex marriage. On March 9, 2008, Zapatero won reelection in a very polarized contest. In the European debt crisis, defaults by Spain and Italy are the great fears because of the size of both economies. Portugal is classed with outside tier smaller countries like Greece and Ireland, more likely to get into trouble, but with lesser effect. Since 1975 Portuguese politics has been controlled by either the Portuguese Socialist Party (PS), analogous to the German Social Democrats, or the (Portuguese) Social Democratic Party (PSD), analogous to the German Christian Democrats. Both are pro-European and pro-market. From March 2005 the prime minister was José Sócrates of the PS, supported by a majority (121) in the unicameral 230-seat Assembly of Representatives. In June 2011 the Social Democrats unseated the Socialists. Hanson (2006) discusses “Religion in Contemporary Europe and the Expansion of the European Union” (pp. 138-45);“National Europe: Politics, Immigration, and Education” (pp. 145-50); and “Religion and Politics in the Contemporary West” (pp. 155-163). 2. A Short Introductory Course to Religion and Politics in Spain and Portugal Casanova offers a brief account of the movement from state church to disestablishment. Manuel parallels the processes in the two states. Hanson takes the story to the end of the Cold War. Manuel and Manuel and Mott extend the narrative. Casanova, José, “Spain: From State Church to Disestablishment,” in Public Religions in the Modern World (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994), 75-91. Manuel, Paul Christopher, “Religion and Politics in Iberia: Clericalism, Anti-Clericalism, and Democratization in Portugal and Spain,” in Jelen, Ted Gerard, and Wilcox, Clyde. Religion in the Comparative Perspective: The One, the Few, and the Many (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002), 71-92. Hanson, Eric O., “John Paul Goes to the ‘Ends of the Earth’” and “The Rise of Southern European Socialism,” in The Catholic Church in World Politics (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987), 125-34. Paul Christopher Manuel and Margaret MacLeish Mott, “The Latin European Church: ‘Une Messe Est Possible,” Paul Christopher Manuel, Lawrence C. Reardon, Clyde Wilcox, eds. The Catholic Church and the Nation-State: Comparative Perspectives (Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2006), 53-68. 3. Other Key Resource Materials for Religion and Politics in Spain and Portugal Byatt, A.S. “What is a European?” New York Times Magazine (October 13, 2002):46-51. Coughlan, John, “God and Caesar in the New Europe,” America 189 (August 4-11, 2003): 20-23. Davie, Grace. Religion in Modern Europe: A Memory Mutates (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000). Dawson, Christopher. The Making of Europe (Cleveland: Meridian, 1956). Emerson, Michael. Redrawing the Map of Europe (London: Macmillian Press, 1998). Fletcher, Richard. The Cross and the Crescent: Christianity and Islam from Muhammad to the Reformation (London: Penguin Press, 2003). Garton Ash, Timothy. Free World: America, Europe, and the Surprising Future of the West (New York: Random House, 2004). Greeley, Andrew M. Religion in Europe at the End of the Second Millennium: A Sociological Profile (New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 2003). Judt, Tony. Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 (New York: Penguin, 2005). Maréchal, Brigitee, Allievi, Stefano, Dassetto, Felice, and Nielsen, Jørgen, ed. Muslims in the Enlarged Europe (Leiden: Koninklijke Brill, 2003). Nelsen, Brent F., Guth, James L., and Fraser, Cleveland R., “Does Religion Matter? Christianity and Public Support for the European Union,” European Union Politics 2 (2001): 210. 5. Recent News Articles on Spain and Portugal (a. Spain; b. Portugal): a. Spain “The Vatican Draws a Line in Spain,” Wall Street Journal, April 28, 2005. Report on Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo, head of the Pontifical Council on the Family, attack on gay-marriage bill of Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. “With Jewish Roots Now Prized, Spain Starts Digging,” New York Times, November 5, 2006. Current nostalgia and archeology for Sephardic roots, especially in Toledo. Possible role today. "Leader Pushes Spain to Left, Rejecting Calls to Slow Down," New York Times, December 13, 2006. Socialist Prime Minister Zapatero pushes on social issues. Emilio Lamo de Espinosa, founder of public policy research organization in Madrid states that the prime minister "is governing with half of Spain, but against almost the entire other half." Poor relations with Catholic Church. "Church continues battle for the family in Spain," National Catholic Reporter, January 11, 2008. December 30th mass rally promoted by Cardinal Antonio Rouca Varela of Madrid and organized by Neocatecumenal Way and other Catholic organizations. Church criticized by ruling Socialist party as straying "from the fundamentals of democracy." "Spain Dissolves Parliament and Schedules March 9 Elections," New York Times, January 15, 2008. Analysts see close contest between Popular and Socialist parties. Popular Party accuses Socialist of hurting the Church, the family, and national unity. "Spain Steps Into Battle With Itself On Abortion," New York Times, April 11, 2009. Strong divide over issue in Spanish society. "Safety Net Frays in Spain, As Elsewhere In Europe," New York Times, June 28, 2010. b. Portugal "Low Turnout Undercuts Portugal Vote on Abortion Law," New York Times, February 12, 2007. Socialist Prime Minister Jose Socrates supported liberalization of abortion laws. Those voting approved 59.25% to 40.75%, but only 44% voted instead of the needed 50 percent. Pollster Pedro Magalhaes commented that "Referendums, unlike regular elections, often deal with complicated issues, and people who are not politically motivated or informed have a problem making the decision to vote." Summary of political and ecclesiastical debate. "A TV Contest Sets Off a Furor Over Portugal's Ex-Dictator," New York Times, July 25, 2007. Audience votes Salazar "the greatest Portuguese who ever lived" with 41% of the vote, albeit from multiple phones and for a TV show. Resulting "national identity crisis" in country, poorest in Europe, that feels 1974 revolution did not succeed, so "nostalgia for authoritarian past." Others dispute that interpretation. "Portugal Gives Itself a Clean-Energy Makeover," New York Times, August 10, 2010. Nearly 45 percent of country's grid will come from renewable sources this year. Comparison with others, including U.S. Europe's top five renewable power producers are Iceland, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, and Finland. "Social Democrats Claim a Strong Victory in Portugal," New York Times, June 6, 2011. Portuguese creditors prefered this outcome because the Social Democrats are closer to the E.U. negotiated package than the Socialists. Debt, however, remains a major issue. August 16, 2011. |
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