Religion and State in Spain

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Religion and State in Spain

Религия и государство в Испании

Nikeshin A.A.

Vladimirskiy State University named after the Stoletov brothers Vladimir, Russia

Никешин А.А.

Владимирский государственный университет имени А.Г. и Н.Г. Столетовых Владимир, Россия

Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Spanish Constitution, although the majority of the population is Catholic. Other religions also practised in Spain include Islam, Judaism, Protestantism, and Hinduism, all of which have places where to conduct their rituals.

Spain is a country with a deep religious tradition. For centuries now, Roman Catholicism has been the primary religious faith of the Spanish people, even though it no longer holds any official status under the law in the new democratic Spain. Still, in all Spanish public schools, students are required to take either a religion or ethics class as part of the regular curriculum, with Roman Catholicism being the only choice for the former.

Today, there are many popular forms of Christianity besides Roman Catholicism. Although the Catholic Church continues to teach that it alone has carried on the true tradition of the apostolic church, the Second Vatican Council declared all baptized Christians to be "in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church." [1] So to be a Catholic today means to be a certain kind of Christian: one with beliefs, practices and traditions that differ from those of Protestantism, Anglicanism, Greek Orthodox, and other branches of modern Christianity.

Roman Catholicism is by far the largest Christian group. With more than one billion adherents, Catholics constitute about half of the world's Christians. [2] Catholicism is the majority religion of Italy, Spain, and nearly all Latin American countries. In 2001, about 24 percent of Americans identified themselves as Catholic, making Catholicism the largest Christian denomination in America (if the Protestant denominations are counted individually). The next largest denomination, Baptists, was claimed by 16 percent of Americans. [3] Yet if Protestants are considered as one group, Catholics remain a minority among America's Christians.

Distinctive Roman Catholic beliefs include the special authority of the pope, the ability of saints to intercede on behalf of believers, the concept of purgatory as a place of afterlife purification before entering heaven, and the doctrine of transubstantiation - that is, that the bread used in the Eucharist becomes the true body of Christ when blessed by a priest.

Generally, Catholic worship tends to be more formal and ritualized than its Protestant counterparts. Services follow a prescribed liturgy and priests wear more elaborate vestments than most Protestant ministers. Catholics usually celebrate the Eucharist (which they call Mass) more often than do Protestants, usually weekly.

Distinctive Roman Catholic beliefs include the special authority of the pope, the ability of saints to intercede on behalf of believers, the concept of purgatory as a place of afterlife purification before entering heaven, and the doctrine of transubstantiation - that is, that the bread used in the Eucharist becomes the true body of Christ when blessed by a priest.

Generally, Catholic worship tends to be more formal and ritualized than its Protestant counterparts. Services follow a prescribed liturgy and priests wear more elaborate vestments than most Protestant ministers. Catholics usually celebrate the Eucharist (which they call Mass) more often than do Protestants, usually weekly.

Catholics observe seven sacraments: religious rituals believed to be commanded by God and effective in conferring grace on the believer. Other distinctive Catholic practices include veneration of saints, use of the crucifix, and the use of rosary beads in prayer.

Unlike their counterparts in both Protestant and Orthodox churches, Catholic priests take vows of celibacy. This practice is rooted in the papacy's early connections with monasticism. There are several Catholic monastic orders, the most well known being the Jesuits, Dominicans, Fransciscans, and Augustinians. Catholic monks and nuns take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and devote themselves to a simple life focused on worshipping God.

Roman Catholicism traces its history to the apostles, especially the Apostle Peter. St. Peter is considered the first pope, and every pope since him is regarded as his spiritual successor. This gives the leader of the church spiritual authority and provides a means for resolving disputes that could divide the church. Through trials like persecution, heresy, and the Reformation, the notion that the church leadership represents the continuation of an unbroken line from the apostles and their teachings ("apostolic succession") has contributed to the survival of Christianity. spain christian catholic protestant

Next part of Christian church - Evangelical. Evangelical Christianity could be growing at a rapid rate in Spain, with 12 new evangelical churches being opened each month, it has emerged.

Protestant Christianity is the fastest growing and largest minority religion in Spain, according to the latest report from the Observatory of Religious Pluralism, released in December.

There are currently 3,759 Protestant places of worship across the country, the overwhelming majority of which are evangelical.

Spain is traditionally a Roman Catholic nation, and the Catholic Church remains the dominant religion, with more than 23,000 places of worship in the country.

However, 825 new Protestant places of worship have opened in the last five years, Evangelical Focus reports.

Weakening Catholic Church within Spanish society is indirectly promoted by religious pluralization induced by immigration. Due to the remarkable increase of immigrants in the Spanish population during the last years, it has been widely claimed that this country has changed from being a classical country of emigration to becoming a country of immigration. During the 1980s and 1990s, Spain has experienced - like other southern European countries - decreasing emigration whilst simultaneously becoming a place of destination for immigrants. This `uneasy transition' (Cornelius) reflects a highly heterogeneous migration pattern made up of Spanish `return migrants', European retirement migrants, non-EU immigrants, as well as other migrants from diverse backgrounds.[57.4] The Spanish `guest workers' migrate to western and northern Europe and do not succeed in definitively integrating into their host society; they tend to re-migrate to their regions of origin once they retire, sometimes alone, but often together with their children who settle down in a country which the second generation only knows from short holiday trips. Secondly are the many European retirement migrant, often termed `trans-migrants', who spend half of the year in their country of origin and half of it on the Canary or Baleares Islands, or on the southern Spanish Mediterranean shores. Non-EU immigrants increasingly choose Spain no longer as a mere transit route - often due to post-colonial links that still exist between the Spanish peninsula and its formerly dependant Latin American as well as North African territories [9.1]. Finally, there is a growing diversity in the immigration population from Eastern European and from other non-EU countries.

These migrants often choose Spain either for temporary work or as a `port of entrance' to the whole EU Schengen territory. The minority religions in Spain include Islam, Judaism, Protestant Christianity, Baha'i, Hinduism, and Buddhism, along with others in smaller numbers. Approximately 3% to 5% of the population practices one of these religions. Due to economic growth within Spain, the country has accepted large numbers of immigrants to help fill the gap in labor shortages. This increase in immigration has led to a change in the kinds of religions practiced in the country as well as a change in languages spoken and traditional cultural practices.[2.126]

Both Protestantism and Islam followers have increased over the last few years.

The Spanish Church also risks losing more of its faithful. The number of practicing Catholics has been falling for years, while agnostics, atheists, and followers of other religions have increased, according to official census reports.

“It's a Spanish contradiction and the result of a demographic change. The majority say they are Catholics but only 10 percent goes to church regularly,” Dr. Torres said.[44.3]

Parallel to the spiritual transition, there is growing support for more separation between church and state. Ties between the PP and the church are too close, 56 percent said, and only 30 percent said ties were normal, according to the El Paнs poll.[18,1]

Every year, fewer Spaniards chose the church as recipient of a mandated charity contribution as a small share of income tax, although the government can still choose Catholic charity organizations when it distributes the money of those who selected the second option: “other.”

Catholic Internet forums also expose a divide among the faithful between those who want more or less religion in the public sphere.

But when it ultimately comes down to the division between church and state, “I think we are in paralysis,” Dr. Tamayo said.

References

1. Научно-популярная энциклопедия «Кругосвет»; Центрально-европейский университет М., 2004. - 502 с. от 22.10.2013 г.

2. Общие основания религий: Монография / С.Ю. Поройков - М.: НИЦ ИНФРА-М, 2015. - 312 с.: 60x90 1/16. - (Научная мысль) (Обложка) ISBN 978-5-16-011007-3, 500 экз.

3. Современные научные исследования и инновации. 2013. № 1 [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://web.snauka.ru/issues/2013/01/19809 (дата обращения: 06.11.2016).

4. Религиозная ситуация и государственно-конфессиональные отношения в 2010 году. URL: http://www.belarus21.by/ru/main_menu/religion/sotr/%3C##href (дата обращения: 10.01.2012).

5. Федуленкова Т.Н. Библейская фразеология и культура речи (на материале английского, немецкого, шведского и русского языков) / Т.Н. Федуленкова // Международное сотрудничество в образовании: Материалы III Международной конф. Ч. 1. СПб, 2002. С. 257-259.

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