Spanish link for bishops

A NARROW election victory at the weekend by Spain's ruling Socialists gives the Spanish bishops a chance to build on the fragile political foundations recently established with the Government.
Prior to the campaign, the bishops renewed Church-State dialogue after several years of stalemate. Almost 95 per cent of Spain's population of 39 million profess to be Catholic.
During the election campaign, the bishops' conference declared the Church politically neutral. However their conference statement raised campaign issues such as public corruption and high unemployment which have embarrassed the traditionally anticlerical Socialists.
The issue of abortion is likely to cause tension between Church and Government. During their campaign, the Socialists pledged to expand the abortion law to allow abortions during the first three months of pregnancy. Currently Spanish law allows abortions only to protect the health of the mother or in situations of rape or deformation of the foetus.