Religion
Catholicism is still an influence over Spanish society. Although church attendance is falling, on a Sunday, around midday, families can be seen dressed in their best attire strolling home from their place of worship. Images of saints watch over shops, bars and drivers’ cabs. Traditional fiestas mark church feasts. Whilst these are the simple facts, the attitude of the modern Spaniard towards the church needs to be examined more closely, for change over the last 40 years has been dramatic.
The pre-1975 image abroad was that of a reactionary, deeply repressive Catholic Church hostile towards any other religion, women’s rights, abortion, homosexuality, divorce, and any open expression of eroticism. It represented a country out of step with the rest of Europe, with a very high birth rate, massive unemployment and a constant flow of emigrants seeking a better life abroad.
The Church had been an ally of the Franco regime with Pope Pius XII sending Franco a telegram of congratulations at the end of the war which read ‘Lifting up our hearts to the Lord, we rejoice with your Excellency
in the victory so greatly to be desired, of Catholic Spain’. For almost four decades, from the end of the Civil War to Franco’s death in 1975, the Spanish Catholic Church had supported a dictatorship, standing for opposition to liberal and democratic ideas.
Church and State, unfortunately, were joined as one. The Church was exempt from taxation and was offered grants to construct churches and other religious buildings. It acquired the right to ask for published material it found offensive to be withdrawn from sale. The Church was given the opportunity to found universities, run radio stations, own newspapers and magazines. Police were forbidden to enter churches and the clergy could not be charged with criminal offences.
Things had to change. It was the Second Vatican Council which first brought this cosy relationship into question. Church and state had to separate. Over the years tolerance to other religions, particularly Islam has grown. European liberalism and female equality have played its part. But the Catholic Church has paid a price for its association with Franco, for today it is but a shadow of its former self. 80% of the population identify themselves as Catholics. Only 18% of Spaniards go to Mass once a month and about 50% never go at all. There is a major shortage of priests. Moreover, the Spanish birth rate has fallen to one of the lowest in the world.
Football
On a Sunday evening Spain’s bars are crowded. Huge screens show football. Football is Spain’s national sport and the country’s most important spectator sport. Spanish soccer fans are among the most dedicated in Europe, matched in their fanaticism only by the Italians. Every town in Spain has a football pitch and a team...and lots of TV screens. A number of La Liga matches are shown live on TV each week, invariably involving either Real Madrid or Barcelona and other top teams such as Deportivo La Coruna, Real Sociedad and Valencia.
The Spanish league is one of the most competitive in Europe with teams
enjoying considerable success in European competitions, although the glory days of Real Madrid and Barcelona are long gone, and the successes of Spanish clubs have been overshadowed in recent years by the Italians. Spain has never been able to repeat its clubs’ successes at international level.
There’s a huge gulf between the top Spanish clubs and the rest. Real Madrid and Barcelona stand head and shoulders above the rest. Real Madrid play at the imposing 130,000 seat Bernabeu stadium, while Barcelona’s home is the equally impressive 120,000 seat Nou Camp stadium. Outside the top clubs, attendances at most first division matches are low.
Like the British Premiership and Italian clubs, the finances of Spanish clubs have been rescued by revenue from televised football matches over the last few years. Top clubs demand instant success and tend to swap their coaches almost as often as players change their shirts. Real Madrid had three coaches alone in the 2004/5 season.