Church and State in Spain

Here's a pretty nice piece from The Economist, in the very least, it stirs the pot. It discusses the influence of the Catholic Church in Spain within the context of the upcoming elections between the center-right, conservative Popular Party and the governing Socialists. Unfortunately, the author, like many secular political pundits nowadays, confuses the defense of the traditional family (through arguments based on human anthropology, natural law and reason) on the part of the Church with excessive "Roman" interference in the minutia of state policy. Yawn! Can't these neophytes in the media get a new action-line? They've become so predictable.

For the record, and this should come as no big surprise to anyone familiar with my leanings, I've never liked Zapatero, the current Spanish Prime Minister. From his first day in office, this cunning, arch-liberal agnostic has made it his mission from on high to dismantle and sabotage Spain's most lasting and beautiful cultural inheritance: the Catholic Church. I also thought that his (and his Party's) disgusting capitulation to Islamic terrorists in the wake of the Madrid train bombings was one of the most reprehensible displays of cowardice in recent political memory. Chalk at least one victory up to Al-Qaida. I could go on about this guy. Suffice it to say, I look forward to seeing him crushed in this Spring's election like a plump grape that's pressed into oblivion for wine. Here's an excerpt from the piece:

Conservative Catholics have disliked Mr Zapatero from the moment he won election on March 14th 2004, just three days after Islamist bombers killed 191 people on Madrid trains. The church has noisily opposed laws to make divorce easier, allow gay marriage and take religion out of the obligatory school curriculum. Not that there is there anything new about Spain's left clashing with the Catholic church. Their battles long predate the civil war of the 1930s, when radicals killed more than 6,000 priests, nuns and monks.

This historical confrontation was meant to have ended with the rediscovery of democracy in the 1970s. But church conservatives now seem inspired by America's powerful religious right and by Italy's Roman Catholic bishops, who have never been scared of politics. In Spain, where three-quarters of people define themselves as Roman Catholic but fewer than one-fifth regularly attend church, some bishops clearly believe it is time to convert faith into political clout.

Yet Christian Family Day may have done little to dent Mr Zapatero's chances of winning re-election on March 9th. Indeed, it could help them. Even observant Spaniards are relatively relaxed about their Catholicism. They are not as conservative as Poles or Italians.

Well, that they are not as "conservative" is probably true but I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the influence of the Church on societal currents, even in Spain.
http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10499119