Spaniards are bracing themselves for a renewed showdown between the Roman Catholic Church and the Socialist Government, reelected yesterday with a fresh mandate for social reform in one of Europe’s last Catholic bastions. José Luis RodrÍguez Zapatero – a scourge of the Church for having legalised same-sex marriage, introduced fast-track divorce and pulled religious instruction from the school curriculum – won a second term on Sunday, vowing to deepen his social reforms.
Many in his party are calling for him to reform Spain’s abortion laws, promote embryonic stem-cell research and legalise euthanasia – any one of which would outrage the Church.
In his victory speech, Mr Zapatero was noncommittal on whether he would act on their demands, saying simply that he would work to fulfil the aspirations of women, young people and the elderly.
“I will govern by extending the things we have done well and correcting our mistakes,” he told jubilant supporters, some of whom held giant banners condemning the bishops.
Mr Zapatero is not the only one who feels that he has a new mandate in Spain.
Last week Spanish bishops elected a leader of their own, replacing a moderate who sought good relations with government with Antonio MarÍa Rouco Varela, a renowned hardliner who had spearheaded the fight against Mr Zapatero’s social reforms.
Another hardline theologian, AgustÍn GarcÍa-Gasco, was brought in to enforce Catholic orthodoxy in a country the Vatican now regards as a front line in its battle against creeping secularism in Europe.
The “new head of the Spanish Inquisition”, as the left-leaning El PaÍs newspaper calls him, has blamed Mr Zapatero’s “radical lay culture” for the destruction of democracy and the traditional family.
“The path of abortion, express divorce and ideologies aimed at manipulating the education of our youngsters does not lead to any dignified destiny for man and his rights, but to the breakdown of democracy,” he told a rally in December. Last month the bishops went further, calling on Catholics to vote against Mr Zapatero.
The Prime Minister has hit back, warning the bishops that they must accept the primacy of parliament and adding that “no one can impose their faith” on another. He also hinted that he could revise recent accords with the Vatican over state funding.
Alongside his withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq, Mr Zapatero has listed his social reforms as the proudest achievements of his first term in office. But room for any fresh changes could be curtailed in his second term.
His two coalition partners – the United Left party and Republic Left of Catalonia – fared poorly in Sunday’s election. So Mr Zapatero must seek the support of socially conservative nationalist parties in the Basque Country or Catalonia to govern. They would be unlikely to support any laws that greatly offend the Church.
He may also face more urgent priorities. After growing quickly during his first four years in office, the economy is now in the midst of a sharp slow-down, buffeted by a deflating property bubble at home and jittery financial markets abroad. Prices and unemployment are rising fast and the unions are becoming restive.
“I would have thought Zapatero will need every ounce of support from every bit of Spanish society to get through this,” said an analyst at a Spanish bank. “So he may decide not to take on any more unnecessary fights with social conservatives in his second term.”
Mr Zapatero has said the first thing he will do is meet unions and employers to hammer out a “grand agreement” on the economy.
But economic analysts expect little of worth will come of the initiative.
Spain’s trusted Economy Minister, Pedro Solbes, has some room for manoeuvre. In contrast to most European countries, Spain has a significant budget surplus and little debt, so it can spend some money on roads, rail and other infrastructure projects in an effort to reactivate the economy.
But some analysts say that would merely perpetuate Spain’s reliance on the construction industry.
Immigration is another issue sitting in Mr Zapatero’s in-tray. During the campaign, the opposition Popular Party managed to capitalise on unrest over the high level of immigration in urban, working-class neighbourhoods that have traditionally voted Socialist. That has not gone unnoticed.
After granting an amnesty to more than 700.000 illegal immigrants in his first term, Mr Zapatero’s Government is likely to be much tougher now.
Catholic stalwart
* Antonio MarÍa Rouco Varela was named Archbishop of Madrid in 1994 and created and proclaimed a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1998
* He is considered an expert in the relationship between Church and State and has chaired and convened several conferences on that and related subjects
* Before taking up his position in Spain, he had a distinguished academic career, specialising in theology and law and serving as a professor at the University of Munich
* He was born August 24, 1936, in Villalba, Spain, and ordained a priest in 1959, after which he took a doctorate in theology and law at the University of Munich
* He was a member of the cardinal electors who selected Pope Benedict XVI to replace John Paul II at the 2005 papal conclave
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