Catholicism in Spain

Christianity I millennium in Spain

The Christian religion has been present in Spain since the first centuries of its existence. In the letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul writes, “I will go through your places to Spain” ( Rom. 15:28 ). It is not clear from the apostolic epistles whether Paul was able to realize his plan, however, the 3rd century apocrypha and early Christian writers write about the visit of Spain by the apostle Paul ^[3] , in particular, John Chrysostom mentioned in Paul’s comments to Hebrews and Jerome of Stridon in a number of works ^[4] . Also, a very ancient origin has a legend about the visit of Spain by the Apostle James ( Julian of Toledo mentions him), but the veneration of the city of Santiago de Compostela , as the seat of the relics of the apostle, began only in the 9th century ^[5] .

According to Irineus of Lyons and Tertullian in Spain of the II century, there were established Christian communities. The earliest known document addressed to the Spanish churches is the message of Cyprian of Carthage from 254 years ^[3] . At the beginning of the IV century, Elvira Cathedral was held in Granada , which can be considered the first local council of the Spanish Church. Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire affected the Spanish communities, martyrs were accepted by saints Vincent of Saragossa , Eulalia and Julia , the Saragossa martyrs and many others ^[6] . The Spanish Bishop Hosea of ​​Korduba presided over the First Council of Nicaea and the Sardiac Council .

In the era of the Great Nations Migration, the Iberian Peninsula was captured by the Visigoths , who had already adopted Christianity in the form of Arianism . Attempts by the Visigoths to impose Arianism on the descendants of the Ibero-Romans who inhabited Spain, who professed Christianity in an orthodox, Nicene form , were unsuccessful. The religious division of the country ended in 587 with the transition of King Reccared I from Arianism to Nicene Christianity. The Christian church in Visigothic Spain possessed a certain originality, in particular, a special Western liturgical rite was formed here, very seriously different from the Roman one. This rite is widely known as the Mozarabic by the name of the Mozarab , Christians who have kept their faith under Muslim rule, but a number of researchers call it Spanish or Visigoth, emphasizing that it was practiced even before the Arab conquest ^[7] . The most important for the Western church were 18 Toleda cathedrals , held from 400 to 702 years. Religious culture and art experienced a significant upsurge in the Visigothic kingdom. Among the prominent personalities of this time are Isidore of Seville , Leander of Seville , Ildefons of Toledo , Julian of Toledo, and others ^[3] .

In the VIII century, the Iberian Peninsula was conquered by the Arabs, whom the Spaniards called the Moors , most of Spain for many centuries was under Muslim rule. Part of the Spanish Christians adopted Islam , part (the Mozarabs ), having largely adopted the Arab culture and way of life, preserved the Christian faith. The attitude of Muslim rulers to Christians at different times varied from relative tolerance to complete rejection. Many Christians were tortured by Muslims, the most famous martyrs of Cordoba .

From the Reconquista to the 20th Century

Reconquista , a gradual process of reconquest by Christians of the Spanish lands, carried in itself an important religious component - victories over Muslims were perceived as a triumph of the Christian faith. In the 10th-13th centuries, the path of St. James to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela , which passed through the territories of northern Spain liberated from Muslims, became one of the largest pilgrimage routes in Europe. A large number of monasteries, mainly Cluny and Cistercian , were based on the liberated territories, which contributed to the establishment of the Catholic faith in the region ^[6] . In the XIII century, a native of Castile, St. Dominic founded the Order of Preachers, later known as Dominicans , and a native of Catalonia, St. Peter Nolasco created the Order of the Mercedarians , whose main goal was to ransom Christian prisoners from Muslims ^[8] .

The kings Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon , in which the Reconquista ended with the fall of the Granada Emirate in 1492, and Spain united into one state, received a special title from Pope Alexander VI - Catholic Kings ^[9] . During their reign, a number of important church reforms were carried out, one of the main conductors of which was Cardinal Jimenez de Cisneros . In addition, during the reign of the Catholic kings, a special ecclesiastical court was established - the Spanish Inquisition , which severely persecuted all suspected of heresy . The Inquisition was the main force in exile and the violent Christianization of the Muslim and Jewish population (see Morischi and Marran ), as well as preventing the reformation movement in Spain ^[10] .

After the discovery of America by Columbus , the Spanish conquistadors began the process of colonization of South and Central America. At the same time, the process of converting Indians to Christianity, which was often carried out by cruel and violent methods, was going on. On the other hand, Catholic priests themselves often defended Indians from violence from European colonizers ( B. de Las Casas ).

The 16th century marked the height of the rise of Catholic religious life in the country. The Church of Spain played a crucial role in the organization and conduct of the Council of Trent , which became the climax of the Counter-Reformation — of the 200 fathers of the cathedral 66 were Spaniards, of the 300 expert theologians at the cathedral, the Spaniards numbered more than a hundred ^[3] . In the 16th century, Basque king of Spain, Ignatius of Loyola, founded the Order of the Jesuits . The most important role in the transformation of the Carmelite order and, in general, the monastic life in Spain, was played by the saints Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross . Many prominent writers and poets of the 16th — 17th centuries were monks of various Catholic orders: Louis de Leon , John of Avila , Tirso de Molina, and many others.

In the Middle Ages in Spain, a number of cathedrals were erected, making up the most important part of the world’s architectural heritage - the Cathedral of St. Toleda , the Cathedral of St. James , the Cathedral of Burgos, the Cathedral of Seville, and others. churches.

In the 18th century, after the change of the ruling dynasty and the accession of the Bourbons, the influence of the Catholic Church on the state and society declined, and anti-Roman tendencies intensified. The authoritarian policy of the kings was expressed in appropriating the right to appoint bishops and interfere in the internal affairs of the Church and the monastic orders. The apotheosis of this policy was the expulsion from Spain of the Jesuit Order in 1767. After the expulsion of the order, King Charles III continued to exert pressure on Pope Clement XIII and became one of the main initiators of the temporary prohibition of the Order in 1773-1814. .

In the 19th century, the tendency toward opposition between the state and the Church only intensified. Although the constitution of 1812, adopted after the expulsion of Napoleon's troops, gave Catholicism the status of a state religion , at the same time it sanctioned the beginning of the process of secularization of the country. The peak of the secular efforts of the state was the de-amortization of Mendisabal 1835-1837, the total confiscation of church property undertaken by royal minister Juan Mendisabal . Among the highest circles of the country, anticlerical views have become the most widely spread ^[3] .

XX century

The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) was a tragic time for the Catholic Church in Spain. Even before the start of the Civil War, the republican government and its supporting strata did not hide their negative attitude towards Catholicism. Organized arsons of churches were conducted (for example, mass arsons in May 1931). In 1936, in Madrid, someone started a rumor that the monks were handing out poisoned sweets to the children of the proletarians , and this baseless rumor led to the fact that many monks and priests were killed by angry proletarians ^[11] . However, the reasons for the hatred of the Church were much deeper and consisted in supporting both the old order and the conservative forces during the political struggle in 1933-1936. ^[12] . After the beginning of the civil war, the Republicans launched a merciless anti-Catholic terror in the territories under their control, a total of 6,832 priests were killed ^[3] . Thousands of churches were burned, many unique works of art of religious subjects and valuable church utensils were destroyed. The celebration of worship in the territory under the control of the Republicans was prohibited on July 19, 1936. The terror of the Republicans led to a deepening of the support of the Francoists from the Catholic Church ^[13] . Many of the killed priests and monks were subsequently canonized and beatified as martyrs ^[14] .

After the victory of the Franco in the Civil War, Catholicism was declared the state religion and received a number of privileges. In 1953, a concordat was concluded between Spain and the Holy See , which enshrined these privileges. In particular, the concordat provided for obligatory church marriages for persons of the Catholic faith, tax benefits for the Church, state subsidies for the construction of new churches, the right to establish church schools and the functioning of the Catholic media, the release of the clergy from military service, etc. ^[15] However, the relations of Franco Spain and the Vatican were far from unclouded, the Holy See did not like the constant intervention of the government in the internal affairs of the Spanish Church. Some priests were repressed for supporting Basque and Catalan culture and languages ​​that were persecuted under Franco. After the Second Vatican Council, the practice of civilian participation in the appointment of bishops was invalidated, the Vatican called on Franco to voluntarily renounce this privilege (guaranteed by the 1953 concordat), but Franco defiantly ignored the Vatican calls. The voluntary refusal of the appointment of bishops by secular authorities was signed after the death of Franco in 1976 by King Juan Carlos I ^[3] . Nevertheless, under pressure from the Vatican in 1967, F. Franco signed the law on freedom of conscience ^[16] .

After the death of Franco, the Catholic Church of Spain fully supported the restoration of the constitutional monarchy and the transition to a democratic system. In 1976–1979, Spain and the Vatican signed treaties fixing a new reality and repealing outdated provisions of the 1953 concordat. In 1978, a new constitution was adopted, which returned Spain to secular status, but the influence of the Catholic Church on the social life of the country remained very significant due to the prevailing number of Catholics in all sectors of society ^[3] .

The end of the 20th - the beginning of the 21st century was marked by a conflict between the Catholic Church of Spain and one of the two largest parties in Spain - the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). During periods of power in power, the socialists adopted a number of bills that were sharply criticized by Catholic circles, in particular concerning the legalization of abortions , the mandatory sex education in school and the expansion of state control in the field of education, including over Catholic educational institutions ^[3] . Special rejection of church circles was caused by the law on legalization of same-sex marriages adopted by the socialists in 2005. Adoption of the law provoked sharp criticism of the Church, many hierarchs openly spoke in appeals to participate in protest demonstrations ^[17] . In 2006, a law was passed that made the study of Catholicism in schools voluntary ^[16] . Since 2007, the Catholic Church has been deprived of state subsidies in the amount of 50 million euros per year - a heavy blow, considering that its annual budget was about 150 million euros ^[16] . As compensation, the state allowed citizens to voluntarily deduct 0.52% of their taxes, but 0.7%, to the church ^[16] .

The number of believers

According to statistics from Catholic sources in Spain about 94% of Catholics ^[2] , this figure refers to the number of baptized, regardless of their actual attitude to the Church. According to the conference of the Catholic bishops of Spain, about 34.5 million Spaniards consider themselves to be Catholic, that is, 73.1% of the population ^[18] . According to a poll by the Center for Sociological Research in April 2014, 68.8% of Spaniards consider themselves Catholics ^[1] . For many Spaniards, belonging to Catholicism is an indispensable part of national-cultural self-identification; therefore, a number of people claim that they consider themselves Catholics, even if they almost never go to church and do not fully share the teachings of the Catholic Church. According to the same survey, in April 2014, almost every Sunday and more often, church services are visited by 15% of the population, several times a month — 9.3% and several times a year — 14.5% (attendance at weddings, funerals and others). Thus, 38.8% of Spaniards regularly attend Catholic services ^[19] .

Structure

In Spain, there are 55 Catholic dioceses , united in 14 metropolitan states ^[2] . The Archdiocese of the Metropolis of Toledo serves as the chair of the Primate of Spain , which has the highest spiritual jurisdiction in the Spanish Church.

Metropolitan Catholic Church in Spain :

• Archdiocese of Barcelona
• Archdiocese of Burgos
• Archdiocese of Granada
• Archdiocese of Madrid
• Archdiocese of Merida-Badajoz
• Archdiocese of Oviedo
• Archdiocese of Pamplona and Tudela
• Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela
• Archdiocese of Seville
• Archdiocese of Tarragona
• Archdiocese of Toledo
• Archdiocese of Valencia
• Archdiocese of Valladolid
• Archdiocese of Zaragoza

According to the Spanish Catholic Bishops Conference in the country, there are 22,917 parishes, 18,043 diocesan priests, 60,927 monastics (49,312 nuns and 11,615 monks) representing 113 male and 299 female congregations , 1,278 seminarists and 1,184 pre-seminary students ^[18] .

In 2010, 301,330 ordinances of baptism , 74,805 sacraments of marriage were performed in Spain. 254,315 children received the First Communion ^[18] .

The Conference of the Catholic Bishops of Spain was formed in 1966. In 1986, in Spain, a military ordinariate was established , feeding Catholic servicemen. According to 2014, there are 10 cardinals in Spain, of which 4 have the right to vote in the conclave ^[2] .

Cardinals of Spain :

• Antonio Cañizares Llovera (with the right to vote)
• Lewis Martinez Sistac (with the right to vote)
• Antonio Maria Roko Varela (with the right to vote)
• Santos Abril y Castello
• Francisco Alvarez Martinez
• Carlos Amigo Vallejo
• José Manuel Estepa Lyaurens
• Julian Herranz Casado
• Eduardo Martinez Somalo
• Fernando Sebastian Aguilar

98 churches of Spain have the status of cathedrals , 112 churches of Spain are recognized as small basilicas ^[2] .

Activity

There are more than 12 thousand Catholic organizations registered in the country ^[3] . In the twentieth century, Catholic movements such as Catholic action , Opus Dei , Comunione e Liberazione , focolars and neocatechumenates experienced rapid development. The practice of pilgrimages received a new impetus in the 20th century. In the famous since the Middle Ages pilgrimage on the way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela every year more than 100 thousand people take part, half of whom are Spaniards ^[20] . Other objects of pilgrimage are the Catalan monastery of Montserrat and the Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar in Zaragoza . Among the objects of modern religious architecture stands out the famous Sagrada Familia in Barcelona , the masterpiece of Antonio Gaudi .

The Catholic Church of Spain conducts a large charity and trusteeship activities. In the care of monastic orders and congregations is about 3 thousand hospitals ^[3] .

Spain was repeatedly visited by the popes, in particular, John Paul II visited Spain five times (1982, 1984, 1989, 1993 and 2003). Pope Benedict XVI visited Spain three times, in 2006, 2010 and 2011. The last visit was timed to the XXVI World Day of Youth held in Madrid in August 2011 ^[2] .

The folk Christian culture of Spain is distinguished by the special scale of the celebration of the days of the Holy Week before Easter (in Spain the name “Holy Week” is adopted, Semana Santa ). Colorful processions are held in many cities these days ^[21] .

• "Spain" // Catholic Encyclopedia . T.2. Ed. Franciscans. M.: 2005. Art. 539–555
• J. Lortz. History of the Church, considered in connection with the history of ideas: Translation from German./Josef Lortz.- Moscow: Christian Russia, 1999/2000.
• Altamira-i-Crevea R. History of Spain, M., 1951.
• Martín Hernández F. España cristiana. Madrid 1982

• Conference site of the Catholic Bishops of Spain
• "Spain" // Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913
• Catholic Church in Spain
• Statistics of the Catholic Church in Spain at catholic-hierarchy.org