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Holy See–Spain relations are foreign relations between theHoly See andSpain. Both countries establisheddiplomatic relations in 1480. This is the oldest permanent diplomatic mission in history. The Holy See has anunciature inMadrid. Spain has an embassy inRome.
TheSpanish Inquisition was anecclesiasticaltribunal started in 1478 byCatholic MonarchsFerdinand II of Aragon andIsabella I of Castile for the newly unitedKingdom of Spain. It was intended to maintainCatholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the medieval inquisition, which was underVatican control. Spain's diplomatic mission in Rome grew out of the Inquisition as well as out of the exploration of theNew World. The first Spanish ambassador to Rome,Gonzalo de Beteta, was appointed in 1480, thus establishing the oldest permanent diplomatic mission in the history of the world.
The mission resulted in important projects of cooperation between the two states. These included Vatican support for theGranada War, the partition of theNew World between Spain and Portugal via the “Bula Inter Caetera” in 1493 (seeTreaty of Tordesillas), and the creation of theHoly League, which led to a key victory for Christendom at theBattle of Lepanto.
For most of the reign ofPope Alexander VI (1492-1503), theChurch had its own diplomatic representation in Spain. The Holy See's embassy was renewed in 1506 byPope Julius II.[1]
After the newSpanish Constitution was adopted in 1978, the constitution set forth the principle ofSeparation of Church and State, although the state continued to fund public schools run by the Catholic Church.
The relations of the Holy See with the recentZapatero'sPSOE government were strained because of legislation allowing forsame-sex marriage andliberalisation of abortion, the end ofreligious education in public schools, and general political support forsecularism.[2] The government expressed an esteem for the heritage of theSpanish Republicans of the 19th and 20th centuries, many of whom were stronglyanticlerical, especially during theSpanish Civil War. It also questioned the role of theSpanish monarchy in national politics.
This contrasts with previous Spanish administrations, many of which had been keen on promoting Spain's historicCatholic culture and identity, such as underFrancisco Franco, for example. Relations were also good underPartido Popular (PP)'sJose Maria Aznar andMariano Rajoy.
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