Catholicism and the end of dictatorship in Portugal and Spain: convergences and contrasts

Abstract

This article examines the roles played by the Catholic hierarchy, clergy and laity in democratisation processes in Portugal and Spain. It analyses the years which preceded the 1974 Carnation Revolution and the death of Franco in 1975 in order to offer a comparative approach to religion in transition in both societies. The article argues that the considerable divergences which existed between Catholic experiences and actions during the 1960s and early 1970s in the two countries can be better understood with reference to three key factors: the part played in modernisation and democratisation processes by individual ecclesiasts in the national and international churches, the differing relationships which existed between dictatorial states and the Church - as well as the natures of these states - and the differing levels of demographic and social changes occurring in both countries during the 1960s and 1970s.