Reform of the church

• • argued the relationship between the Catholic Church and the government was in need of radical reform.
  • this frightened conservatives and moderate Spaniards who feared the new republic would undermine and destroy the Church, which was an institution that played a central role in life
• • Members of the catholic church urged their supporters to vote against radicalism in the June 1931 elections - this resulted in Segura's exile from Spain.
  • Widespread attacks on church property during the election campaign
• • restricted rights of church and separated church from state:
  • Article 3 - stated the Spanish state had no official religion
  • Article 26 - state no longer gave economic aid to churches
  • Article 27 - banned funeral processions and church bells
  • Article 44 - gave the state the right to take away the property of the church in return for compensation
• • reform of the catholic church alienated many Catholics
  • Article 3, angered the catholic right who believed Spain should stay a Catholic country
  • Priests, who originally supported the new constitution, now began to criticise it
• • October 1931 gov support for anti-clerical laws led to 2 significant people resigning

  1. Zamora - a committed catholic - he was the prime minister
  2. Maura - a conservative catholic - he was the minister of interior

  • their resignation convinced the conservative right that the government was heading in a dangerously radical direction
• • anti-clerical aspects had a significant impact on the politics of the republic
  • perceived extremism of the anti-clerical laws helped to consolidate an alliance among r/w Catholic parties by 1933 which shared the goal of reversing the anti-clerical reforms