La Ley General de Educación y la Iglesia: Encuentros y desencuentros

Abstract

The importance and influence that the Catholic Church has had on Education in Spain over the centuries is well known, as is the fact that there have periodically been sectors that have questioned its role in education. The objective of this article is to examine the position of the Church, especially the ecclesiastical hierarchy, with regard to the General Education Act approved on August 4, 1970 and its subsequent development. We will first look at the Church’s thoughts about the changes to come and the need for them, as well as what it considered to be the turning points. We will analyze the dichotomy between state and non-state education and the issue of free education that arises, and how its development would prove definitive in the change of attitude adopted by the Church. Finally, we will refer to the different alternatives to the Law that were proposed, including those involving non-state education and education by the Church, which we will focus special attention on. To do this, we will resort, wherever possible, to original sources, such as the reports emanating from the Episcopal Commission for Teaching and Religious Education, which was in charge of reporting the Church's position on educational issues and was very active during these years as well as other publications of the time.