Global InformationReligion in Spain information
| Part of a series on the |
| Culture of Spain |
|---|
 |
| History |
| People |
| Languages |
| Mythology and Folklore |
| Cuisine |
| Festivals |
| Art |
| Music |
| Sport |
|
Answer to the question 'How do you define yourself in religious matters?' in Spain (CIS survey; sample size: 10,104; September 2023)[1]
The Catholic branch of Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Spain, with high levels of secularization as of 2022[update]. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Spanish Constitution.
The Pew Research Center ranked Spain as the 16th out of 34 European countries in levels of religiosity, with 21% of the population declaring they were "highly religious" in the poll.[3] 3% of Spaniards consider religion as one of their three most important values, lower than the 5% European average.[4]
Judaism and Christianity were introduced in the Iberian Peninsula in Roman times,[5][6][7] with the latter absorbing many elements from "pagan" practices that survived for a while even among Christianized populations.[8] Islam was introduced in the Iberian Peninsula after the Muslim conquest in the 8th century, which resulted in the establishment of Al-Andalus.[9] In the late 15th to early 16th century, Jews and Muslims were forced to choose between conversion or expulsion,[10][11] with the fostering of Catholic uniformity across the territory remaining a major concern for both State and Church authorities throughout the two following centuries.[12] Connected to the Old Regime, the Catholic Church became the most controversial institution in Spain in the 19th and 20th centuries, struggling to find ways to relate to the nascent liberal society as well as clashing with governments seeking to find an acceptable delimitation of the role of religion in public affairs.[13] Since the end of the Francoist dictatorship practical secularization has grown strongly.[14][15][16][17][18] The 1978 Constitution abolished Catholicism as the official religion of the state, while recognizing "the religious beliefs of all Spaniards" and establishing "appropriate cooperation" with the Catholic Church and other confessions.[19]
According to the Spanish Center for Sociological Research, 52.0% of Spanish citizens self-identify as Catholics, (35.2% define themselves as non-practising, while 16.8% as practising), 2.4% as followers of other faiths (including Islam, Protestant Christianity, Buddhism etc.), and 44.1% identify as: atheists (16.8%), agnostics (14.4%) or non-believers (12.9%), as of September 2023.[20]
Most Spaniards do not participate regularly in weekly religious worship. A July 2021 study shows that of the Spaniards who identify themselves as religious, 36% never attend mass, 20.8% barely ever attend mass, 19% attend mass a few times a year, 6.8% two or three times per month, 13.4% every Sunday and holidays, and 2.9% multiple times per week.[21] According to a 2021 survey, those who go to church several times a year are 17.3% of the total population; those who go several times a month, 9.3%; those who go every Sunday and all holy days of obligation, 14.9%; and those who go several times a week, 4.3%.[22]
Although a majority of Spaniards self-identify as Catholics, younger generations tend to ignore the Church's moral doctrines on issues such as pre-marital sex, homosexuality, same-sex marriage or contraception.[15][16][23][24] The total number of parish priests shrank from 24,300 in 1975 to 18,500 in 2018, with an average age of 65.5 years.[25][26][27] By contrast, many expressions of popular religiosity still thrive, often linked to local festivals. Several instances of Catholic cultural practices are present among the general population, such as Catholic baptisms and funerals, Holy Week processions, pilgrimages (such as the Way of St. James), patron saints and many festivals. [citation needed]
A Survey published in 2019 by the Pew Research Center found that 54% of Spaniards had a favorable view of Muslims, while 76% had a favorable view of Jews.[28] Spain has been regarded[according to whom?] as generally unwelcoming of Protestantism,[better source needed][29][30] with only 1% of Spaniards being Protestant[31] and most Protestants being of an immigrant background.[32][33]
The patron saint of Spain is St. James the Greater.[34]
- ^ CIS."Barómetro de Septiembre de 2023", 10,104 respondents. The question was "¿Cómo se define Ud. en materia religiosa: católico/a practicante, católico/a no practicante, creyente de otra religión, agnóstico/a, indiferente o no creyente, o ateo/a?". Page 20.
- ^ "Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain".
- ^ How do European countries differ in religious commitment? Use our interactive map to find out. Pew Research.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
EUROBAROMETER83was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Prados García, Celia (2011). "La expulsión de los judíos y el retorno de los sefardíes como nacionales españoles. Un análisis histórico-jurídico" (PDF). Actas del I Congreso Internacional sobre Migraciones en Andalucía. p. 2119. ISBN 978-84-921390-3-3.
- ^ Fernández Ubiña, José (2007). "Los orígenes del cristianismo hispano. Algunas claves sociológicas". Hispania Sacra. 59 (120): 427. doi:10.3989/hs.2007.v59.i120.36.
- ^ Gannon, Martin J.; Pillai, Rajnandini (2015). Understanding Global Cultures: Metaphorical Journeys Through 34 Nations, Clusters of Nations, Continents, and Diversity. SAGE Publications. ISBN 9781483340067.
- ^ Bosseman, Gaelle; Gomez, Carole; Jiménez Sánchez, Juan Antonio (2021). "La implantación de nuevos fenómenos religiosos en la península ibérica (Siglos III-XI). Aceptaciones, rechazos y compromisos". Hispania Sacra. 73 (147). Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas: 9. ISSN 0018-215X.
- ^ Berger, Maurits S. (2014). A Brief History of Islam in Europe (PDF). Leiden University Press. pp. 41–42. ISBN 978-90-8728-195-3.
- ^ Roth, Norman (1992). "The Jews of Spain and the Expulsion of 1492". The Historian. 55 (1): 17–30. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6563.1992.tb00882.x. JSTOR 2444825.
- ^ Martín Corrales, Eloy (2020). "The Spain That Enslaves and Expels: Moriscos and Muslim Captives (1492 to 1767–1791)". Muslims in Spain, 1492-1814. pp. 67–84. doi:10.1163/9789004443761_004. ISBN 9789004443761. S2CID 234549620.
- ^ Armstrong, Megan (2007). "Transatlantic Catholicism: Rethinking the Nature of the Catholic Tradition in the Early Modern Period". History Compass. 5 (6): 1947. doi:10.1111/j.1478-0542.2007.00483.x.
- ^ Shubert, Adrian (1990). A Social History of Modern Spain. Routledge. p. 144. ISBN 0-203-42121-3.
- ^ -Jofré, Rosa Bruno (2019). Educationalization and Its Complexities: Religion, Politics, and Technology. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781487505349.
- ^ a b Morel, Sandrine (1 February 2017). "La sécularisation express des jeunes Espagnols" [The express secularization of the Spanish youth] (in French). Le Monde. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ a b "España experimenta retroceso en catolicismo - El Mundo - Mundo Cristiano" (in Spanish). CBN.com. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYTwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
CSMONITORwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Spanish Constitution (PDF) (Constitution, Sections 14, 16 & 27.3). 29 December 1978. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
No religion shall have a state character. The public authorities shall take into account the religious beliefs of Spanish society and shall consequently maintain appropriate cooperation relations with the Catholic Church and other confessions.
- ^ CIS."Barómetro de Septiembre de 2023", 10,104 respondents. The question was "¿Cómo se define Ud. en materia religiosa: católico/a practicante, católico/a no practicante, creyente de otra religión, agnóstico/a, indiferente o no creyente, o ateo/a?".
- ^ Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas-CIS."Barómetro de Julio de 2021", 3,814 respondents. The question was "¿Cómo se define Ud. en materia religiosa: católico/a practicante, católico/a no practicante, creyente de otra religión, agnóstico/a, indiferente o no creyente, o ateo/a?".
- ^ CIS. "Barametro de Junio de 2021."
- ^ Tarvainen, Sinikka (26 September 2004). "Reforms anger Spanish church". Dawn International. Retrieved 21 March 2008.
- ^ "Zapatero accused of rejecting religion". Worldwide Religious News. 15 October 2004. Archived from the original on 23 October 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2008.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
INFOCAT2018was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
ESTADISTICA2005was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
LV2016was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "European Public Opinion Three Decades After the Fall of Communism — 6. Minority groups". Pew Research Center. 14 October 2019. Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
LAMwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Sharing the Gospel in Spain a Work in Progress". Back to God Ministries International. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
- ^ "Global Christianity" (PDF). Pew Research Center. December 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
- ^ "10 milhões vivem em cidades sem presença evangélica, na Espanha". Folha Gospel (in Portuguese). 10 May 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
- ^ "Spain: 10 million live in towns without evangelical presence". Evangelical Focus Europe. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
- ^ St. James the Greater in Catholic Encyclopedia (New York: Appleton Company, 1910), http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08279b.htm