Church, State, and Religious Liberty in Spain

Abstract

In the Roman Empire and in the Christian states that followed it, Roman Catholic unity, even if it had to be imposed by force, was regarded as good the state, the church, and even individuals who might otherwise be lost in error. Pope Leo XIII reaffirmed the ideal in 1885 when he declared it improper a Catholic state to place the various forms of worship on the same footing as the true or to tolerate other religions except for the sake of secur ing some great good or hindering some great evil.1 The Catholic unity of Spain was broken by the Moorish conquest in the eighth century and by the development of a large and pros perous Jewish community. During the slow and painful reconquest of the country by Spaniards who professed Christianity, a fusion of religion and patriotism took place. The last Moorish stronghold, Granada, fell to the forces of Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. Within a few years all Moors were expelled from Spain. The Jews were pressured to accept baptism, and those who were suspected of not being true converts were imprisoned or killed by the Inquisition. In 1492 all Jews were given the alternative of accepting baptism or leaving the country. Thousands emigrated,