The end of a reign in Spain?

The great ideological battles of the early 20th century were fought in Spain. It's quite possible that future historians will say the same about the early 21st century. Shortly after the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party's election victory in 2004 prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero launched an array of policies aimed at nothing short of radically reshaping Spanish society. He abruptly discovered that the main obstacle to the revolution was the Catholic Church.
Zapatero clashed bad-temperecily with Church leaders on everything from same-sex marriage, to terrorism, to educational reforms, Many predicted a showdown when Benedict XVI flew to Valencia for the World Meeting of Families in 2006. But rather than angrily denouncing same-sex marriages, the Pope surprised everyone by preaching positively about the Catholic vision of the family. This wrong-footed Zapatero, who, fearing that he faced a public dressing down, skipped the papal Mass. Benedict XVI thus made the Catholic faith seem eminently reasonable, while Zapatero appeared not to have the courage of his socialist convictions.
It's true that the Spanish bishops haven't always presented the Catholic viewpoint with the calinness and finesse of Benedict XVI. But in opposing Zapatero they have, on the whole, simply been fulfilling their duty to speak out in defence of the common good.
On Sunday Zapatero stands for re-election, If he wins we hope the Spanish hierarchy will follow the example of Pope Benedict, and present a joy-filled vision of Catholicism that shows up the prime minister's rancorous socialism for what it is. That is the way that the struggle between faith and secularism in Europe should be fought.