Spain elect Moderate Blázquez as New Head for Catholic Church

Spain has continued on its path of huge transformation since the Madrid bombings occurred a year ago. The latest news to rock conservative Christians is that a new moderate bishop has been chosen as the new head of the Spanish Roman Catholic Church, to replace the more hard-line former bishop.

Since the Madrid bombing in 2004, Spain has seen its conservative government replaced by a new liberal leadership. This dramatic change has led to a great loosening of laws involving homosexual marriages, abortions, divorce, stem-cell research and even religious education.

The Bishop of Bilbao, Ricardo Blázquez was elected as the president of the bishops’ conference after the previous Roman Catholic head, Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, failed to win the two-thirds majority that he needed to secure a third term in the prominent position by just a single vote.

Mgr Rouco Varela has been involved in numerous disputes with the new Spanish government over the past year, and it was known that he had support from the Vatican to continue his role. However, the Episcopal conference, which gathers every three years to elect its head, had members that were unhappy with the way in which Mgr Rouco Varela had managed things over the past year.

Blázquez won 40 out of the 77 votes that were made in the second round of voting, in which he needed a simple majority to take over rather than the two-thirds majority.

In a move to further worry conservative Christians, Blázquez immediately upon the news, pledged that he would co-operate with the government, and requested for a new period where dialogue between the government and Church could be set up firmly.

Controversial Spanish Prime Minister, José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero greeted the new developments and said; "I am in favour of he change, or obvious reasons."

The Bishop of Bilbao was one of the priests in the uneasy Basque country who objected to the law banning Batasuna – the political wing of Eta, which is a Basque terrorist group. This led to tensions arising with the former Prime Minister, José María Aznar – of the conservative Popular Party.

Blázquez said that he wised to work and "co-operate towards peace among the Basque people, in Basque society."

Spain is a country with a rich Roman Catholic history, but although 95% of the population describe themselves as Catholic, the recent liberal attitudes of the nation have been of high concern to the Catholic denomination.

Although, the new moderate head of the Spanish Catholic Church has raised many concerns from worldwide Christians, Bishop Blázquez has made clear his stance on the controversial issue of homosexual marriage. Blázquez said, "If everything is family, nothing is family. For me, the family has its base in marriage as a union life and love between a stable man and a woman for the transmission of life. I ask that we all be zealous presiders, caretakers of our families: it's an enormous treasure."