The Roman Catholic Church in Spain has projected itself into a position of political opposition to the country’s new Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. The Church has called its first major demonstration to protest against its plans to introduce homosexual marriage, and making divorce and abortions easier, and to amend religious education in schools.

Zapatero’s six-month government, which has liberalised many traditional views, has angered Spain’s Roman Catholic Church by almost completely disregarding the views of the Church in creating new extreme legislation since it came to power.

The Church’s anger has now turned to action, as the demonstration, to be held in Madrid in December, becomes the first clear sign that the Church is attempting to build a foundation movement against the government’s social reforms.

In addition to the demonstration, petitions and letter-writing campaigns are being arranged through the dioceses and parishes in the traditionally devout Catholic country.

Archbishop of Alcála de Henars said in a letter, “In the month of December there will be a great demonstration in Madrid, called by all the dioceses and Christian movements, associations and groups.”

The focus of the proposed demonstration would be “the family, life and education.”

The letter continued to state that Zapatero’s government was doing “little negotiating” with the church on its future plans. Since the government came to power they also scrapped an education Bill approved by the previous conservative government, which would have enforced religious education as a compulsory school subject for Spanish children.

Although the government threw out the Bill, they still have not laid out any plans for exactly what part religious education will play in the country’s schools. As of yet they have only indicated that the subject will be offered as non-compulsory and that teachers would be appointed by the Roman Catholic bishops and paid for by the state.

The government have alarmed the Catholic Church further, however, with proposals that religious classes may be taught by people from other churches and religions.

Church leaders have also expressed their concerns for a newly proposed subject called “education in citizenship”, which will try to teach democratic values. However, Spanish clergy are worried that the new subject may be used to turn students away from the church or to indoctrinate them to the points of views promoted by the government.

Since the new government has taken over in Spain, the Roman Catholic Church has seemingly been pushed further and further back in the minds of the public. A recent poll indicated that 61% of Spaniards supported the government’s extreme proposals on gay marriage, and even more disconcerting is the figure released saying that 72% of the Spanish public thought that the Church, which received approximately £95m from the state annually, should support itself wholly in the future.

Further governmental reforms include giving other Christian Churches (e.g. Anglican, Protestant) as well as Jewish and Muslim some of the privileges that the Catholic Church currently has. Some Protestants have welcomed those proposals, however, it had been reported that other denominations and religions will also attend the demonstration in December.

Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the pontifical council for justice and peace said, “The Church...is really the one which defends he secular nature if the state, urging all to render God what is God’s and to Caesar what is Caesar’s.”

The Vatican also on Monday 25 October, published a 525-page document on the social teachings of Pope John Paul II and other past Popes, with the aim of guiding politicians and others.

The Vatican, in the document, expressed their disgust at the new abortion plans for Spain, and described it as a “horrendous crime” and a “particularly serious moral disorder.”

Catholics were directed by the Vatican that they had “a grave duty of conscience not to cooperate, not even formally, in practices which, although permitted by civil legislation, are contrary to the law of God. Such cooperation in fact can never be justified, not by invoking respect for the freedom of others nor by appealing to the fact that it is foreseen and required by civil law."

But Vatican officials sidestepped questions on whether the war in Iraq was illegal, or if Catholics could vote for candidates who backed laws permitting abortion.