Spain's Roman Catholic church has effectively placed itself in the frontline of political opposition to Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's six month-old government by calling the first major demonstration to protest against plans to introduce gay marriage, make divorce and abortion easier and amend religious education in schools.
The demonstration, to be held in Madrid in December, is part of the church's attempt to build a grassroots movement against the government's social reforms. According to church documents published in Spanish newspapers yesterday, letter-writing campaigns and petitions are being organized through its countrywide network of dioceses and parishes.
"In the month of December there will be a great demonstration in Madrid, called by all the dioceses and Christian movements, associations and groups," said a letter from the archbishop-ric of Alcala de Henares, 48km from Madrid. The demonstration would concentrate on "the family, life and education."
The letter went on to accuse Zapatero's government of doing "little negotiating" with the church over its future plans.
The government has already scrapped an education bill approved by the former conservative People's party government that would have made religious education a compulsory exam subject for school children.
Although Zapatero's government has not yet said exactly what plans it has for religious education, it has indicated that schools will still offer non-compulsory religion classes by teachers appointed by Roman Catholic bishops but paid by the state.
The Socialist government has also proposed, however, that religious classes may be taught by people from other churches or religions.
It also wants to introduce a new compulsory subject called "education in citizenship" to teach "democratic values."
Church leaders have claimed the new subject may be used to turn students away from the church or to "indoctrinate" them in the government's own beliefs.
A recent opinion poll for the leftwing Cadena Ser station said 61 percent of Spaniards supported the government's most controversial new measure, the legalization of gay marriage.
And 72 percent said the Roman Catholic church, which currently receives an estimated 140 million euros (US$180 million) from state coffers, should be left to finance itself.
Among reforms being prepared by the Zapatero government are moves to give other Christian churches, such as Anglicans and other Protestants, as well as Jews and Muslims some of the privileges currently enjoyed exclusively by the Roman Catholic church.
Although some Protestant church leaders have welcomed the new measures, a spokesman for the archbishopric of Alcala de Henares said that other confessions would also be protesting against the government.
"There are others who are worried about some of the measures too," he said.
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