Teaching catholicism in public schools in Spain: the declaration of suitability at the intersection of religious autonomy and state neutrality

Under the terms of the Concordat between the Holy See and Spain, Catholic RE teachers must obtain a declaration of suitability prior to their appointment by the competent administrative authority. The bishop’s authority to revoke any such statement, and the State’s jurisdictional prerogative in over...

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Author: Gas-Aixendri, Montserrat
Format: article
Publication Date:2022
Country:España
Institution:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repository:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:20.500.12328/4899
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12328/4899
https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2021.1956432
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Declaració d'Idoneïtat
Professors de religió a Espanya
Autonomia de l'església
Tribunal Europeu de Drets Humans
Declaración de idoneidad
Profesores de religión en España
Autonomía de la Iglesia
Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos
Declaration of suitability
Religion teachers in spain
Church autonomy
European Court of Human Rights
37
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oai_identifier_str oai:recercat.cat:20.500.12328/4899
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network_name_str España
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spelling Teaching catholicism in public schools in Spain: the declaration of suitability at the intersection of religious autonomy and state neutralityGas-Aixendri, MontserratDeclaració d'IdoneïtatProfessors de religió a EspanyaAutonomia de l'esglésiaTribunal Europeu de Drets HumansDeclaración de idoneidadProfesores de religión en EspañaAutonomía de la IglesiaTribunal Europeo de Derechos HumanosDeclaration of suitabilityReligion teachers in spainChurch autonomyEuropean Court of Human Rights37Under the terms of the Concordat between the Holy See and Spain, Catholic RE teachers must obtain a declaration of suitability prior to their appointment by the competent administrative authority. The bishop’s authority to revoke any such statement, and the State’s jurisdictional prerogative in overseeing such decisions, are matters of some dispute in Spanish courts. The Constitutional Court has found that the fundamental rights of applicants are not diminished by the fact that they are acting as religion teachers. In certain cases, however, the Court has highlighted that the right to transmit its beliefs through teaching is a key element of collective religious freedom that should prevail. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in cases Fernandez Martinez v. Spain (2014) and Travaš v. Croacia (2016) found that, by signing the employment contract, the applicants knowingly and voluntarily accepted a ‘heightened duty’ of loyalty towards the Church, limiting the scope of their fundamental rights. Following the judgements of the ECtHR, this paper shows how the Spanish system has dealt with collective religious freedom and employees’ rights, providing a theoretical analysis of the legal grounds for the courts’ judgements.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionTaylor & Francis2022info:eu-repo/semantics/article11http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12328/4899https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2021.1956432reponame:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunyainstname:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)InglésBritish Journal of Religious Education44;4© 2025 Taylor & Francisinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:recercat.cat:20.500.12328/48992026-05-29T05:05:01Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Teaching catholicism in public schools in Spain: the declaration of suitability at the intersection of religious autonomy and state neutrality
title Teaching catholicism in public schools in Spain: the declaration of suitability at the intersection of religious autonomy and state neutrality
spellingShingle Teaching catholicism in public schools in Spain: the declaration of suitability at the intersection of religious autonomy and state neutrality
Gas-Aixendri, Montserrat
Declaració d'Idoneïtat
Professors de religió a Espanya
Autonomia de l'església
Tribunal Europeu de Drets Humans
Declaración de idoneidad
Profesores de religión en España
Autonomía de la Iglesia
Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos
Declaration of suitability
Religion teachers in spain
Church autonomy
European Court of Human Rights
37
title_short Teaching catholicism in public schools in Spain: the declaration of suitability at the intersection of religious autonomy and state neutrality
title_full Teaching catholicism in public schools in Spain: the declaration of suitability at the intersection of religious autonomy and state neutrality
title_fullStr Teaching catholicism in public schools in Spain: the declaration of suitability at the intersection of religious autonomy and state neutrality
title_full_unstemmed Teaching catholicism in public schools in Spain: the declaration of suitability at the intersection of religious autonomy and state neutrality
title_sort Teaching catholicism in public schools in Spain: the declaration of suitability at the intersection of religious autonomy and state neutrality
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Gas-Aixendri, Montserrat
author Gas-Aixendri, Montserrat
author_facet Gas-Aixendri, Montserrat
author_role author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Declaració d'Idoneïtat
Professors de religió a Espanya
Autonomia de l'església
Tribunal Europeu de Drets Humans
Declaración de idoneidad
Profesores de religión en España
Autonomía de la Iglesia
Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos
Declaration of suitability
Religion teachers in spain
Church autonomy
European Court of Human Rights
37
topic Declaració d'Idoneïtat
Professors de religió a Espanya
Autonomia de l'església
Tribunal Europeu de Drets Humans
Declaración de idoneidad
Profesores de religión en España
Autonomía de la Iglesia
Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos
Declaration of suitability
Religion teachers in spain
Church autonomy
European Court of Human Rights
37
description Under the terms of the Concordat between the Holy See and Spain, Catholic RE teachers must obtain a declaration of suitability prior to their appointment by the competent administrative authority. The bishop’s authority to revoke any such statement, and the State’s jurisdictional prerogative in overseeing such decisions, are matters of some dispute in Spanish courts. The Constitutional Court has found that the fundamental rights of applicants are not diminished by the fact that they are acting as religion teachers. In certain cases, however, the Court has highlighted that the right to transmit its beliefs through teaching is a key element of collective religious freedom that should prevail. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in cases Fernandez Martinez v. Spain (2014) and Travaš v. Croacia (2016) found that, by signing the employment contract, the applicants knowingly and voluntarily accepted a ‘heightened duty’ of loyalty towards the Church, limiting the scope of their fundamental rights. Following the judgements of the ECtHR, this paper shows how the Spanish system has dealt with collective religious freedom and employees’ rights, providing a theoretical analysis of the legal grounds for the courts’ judgements.
publishDate 2022
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2022
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12328/4899
https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2021.1956432
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12328/4899
https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2021.1956432
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv British Journal of Religious Education
44;4
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv © 2025 Taylor & Francis
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv © 2025 Taylor & Francis
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv 11
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Taylor & Francis
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Taylor & Francis
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
instname:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
instname_str Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
reponame_str Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
collection Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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score 15,812429

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