Kirchenakte Documented events from judgments, reports and church documents
27 Aug 1953-1 Jan 1979 · 25 years · show in timeline

Spain 1953: The Holy See's concordat with Franco makes Catholicism the only religion of the nation, obliges priests to pray daily for the head of state and gives bishops supervision of all schools

On 27 August 1953 the Holy See under Pius XII and the Spanish state under Franco concluded a concordat. It declares the Catholic religion the only religion of the Spanish nation, obliges priests to pray daily for the head of state, binds teaching in all schools to the doctrine of the Church and gives bishops the right to have books removed from teaching. The state pays the Church an annual endowment, and criminal proceedings against clergy require a prior request to the bishop. Spanish Law 52/2007 describes the period after the Civil War as a dictatorship. The 1979 agreements repealed large parts of the concordat, including Articles I, VI, XXVI and XXVII.

Period
27 Aug 1953-1 Jan 1979 (25 years)
Report published
27 August 1953
Country
Spain
Institutions
Holy See
Secretariat of State
Category
Agreements with dictatorships
Level of evidence
A Primary source · what does this mean?
Persons
Pius XII (Pope, contracting party)
Francisco Franco Bahamonde (Spanish head of state, contracting party)

What happened to the people

How were they charged and sentenced?

  1. Under Article XVI, before criminal proceedings against clergy the court must request the consent of the local bishop. The proceedings are to be kept from publicity. Custodial sentences are served in an ecclesiastical house or at least separately from lay people.
    Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va), Art. XVI Abs. 4
    „el consentimiento del Ordinario del lugar en que se instruye el proceso“
    Concordato entre la Santa Sede y España vom 27. August 1953 (AAS 45, 1953, S. 625-656), Art. XVI Abs. 4. Original
    Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va), Art. XVI Abs. 4
    „El proceso se rodeará de las necesarias cautelas para evitar toda publicidad.“
    Concordato entre la Santa Sede y España vom 27. August 1953 (AAS 45, 1953, S. 625-656), Art. XVI Abs. 4. Original
    Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va), Art. XVI Abs. 5
    „Las penas de privación de libertad serán cumplidas en una casa eclesiástica o religiosa“
    Concordato entre la Santa Sede y España vom 27. August 1953 (AAS 45, 1953, S. 625-656), Art. XVI Abs. 5. Original

What happened to those affected?

  1. In the agreements of 3 January 1979 Spain and the Holy See repealed large parts of the concordat, including Articles I, VI, XXVI and XXVII.
    Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va), Rechtsabkommen Art. VIII
    „Quedan derogados los artículos I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VIII, IX, X“
    Acuerdos entre la Santa Sede y el Estado español vom 3. Januar 1979, Rechtsabkommen Art. VIII. Original
    Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va), Abkommen über Bildung Art. XVII
    „Quedan derogados los artículos XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII, XXIX, XXX y XXXI del vigente Concordato.“
    Acuerdos entre la Santa Sede y el Estado español vom 3. Januar 1979, Abkommen über Bildung Art. XVII. Original

Background

Course of events

  1. The concordat names as contracting parties Pope Pius XII and "His Excellency the Spanish Head of State, Don Francisco Franco Bahamonde". Domenico Tardini signed for the Holy See in Vatican City on 27 August 1953. The Spanish state's Law 52/2007 speaks of political and ideological persecution in the dictatorship after the Civil War.
    Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va), Präambel
    „Su Excelencia el Jefe del Estado español, Don FRANCISCO FRANCO BAHAMONDE“
    Concordato entre la Santa Sede y España vom 27. August 1953 (AAS 45, 1953, S. 625-656), Präambel. Original
    Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va), Schluss des Protokolls
    „Ciudad del Vaticano, 27 de Agosto de 1953.“
    Concordato entre la Santa Sede y España vom 27. August 1953 (AAS 45, 1953, S. 625-656), Schluss des Protokolls. Original
    Evidence: Boletín Oficial del Estado, Spanien, Präambel
    „tuvieron lugar en la Dictadura posterior“
    Ley 52/2007, de 26 de diciembre (BOE núm. 310), Präambel. Original · Archive copy
  2. Article I provides that the Catholic religion remains the only religion of the Spanish nation. Article VI obliges Spanish priests to pray daily for Spain and the head of state.
    Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va), Art. I
    „La Religión Católica, Apostólica, Romana sigue siendo la única de la Nación española“
    Concordato entre la Santa Sede y España vom 27. August 1953 (AAS 45, 1953, S. 625-656), Art. I. Original
    Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va), Art. VI
    „los sacerdotes españoles diariamente elevarán preces por España y por el Jefe del Estado“
    Concordato entre la Santa Sede y España vom 27. August 1953 (AAS 45, 1953, S. 625-656), Art. VI. Original
  3. Under Article XXVI, teaching in all state and non-state schools conforms to the dogma and morals of the Catholic Church. Bishops may demand that books and teaching materials be disallowed or withdrawn. Under Article XXVII, Catholic religious instruction is compulsory in all schools; children of non-Catholics are exempted only at their parents' request.
    Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va), Art. XXVI
    „la enseñanza se ajustará a los principios del Dogma y de la Moral de la Iglesia Católica“
    Concordato entre la Santa Sede y España vom 27. August 1953 (AAS 45, 1953, S. 625-656), Art. XXVI. Original
    Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va), Art. XXVI
    „Los Ordinarios podrán exigir que no sean permitidos o que sean retirados los libros, publicaciones y material de enseñanza contrarios al Dogma y a la Moral católica.“
    Concordato entre la Santa Sede y España vom 27. August 1953 (AAS 45, 1953, S. 625-656), Art. XXVI. Original
    Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va), Art. XXVII
    „El Estado español garantiza la enseñanza de la Religión Católica como materia ordinaria y obligatoria en todos los centros docentes“
    Concordato entre la Santa Sede y España vom 27. August 1953 (AAS 45, 1953, S. 625-656), Art. XXVII. Original

Who received the assets, who profited?

  1. Under Article XIX the state pays the Church an annual endowment, as compensation for earlier expropriations of church property and as a contribution to the Church's work. The endowment covers bishops, cathedral chapters, parish clergy, seminaries and church universities. Churches, bishops' residences and other church buildings are exempt from tax.
    Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va), Art. XIX Abs. 2
    „a título de indemnización por las pasadas desamortizaciones de bienes eclesiásticos y como contribución a la obra de la Iglesia en favor de la Nación, le asignará anualmente una adecuada dotación“
    Concordato entre la Santa Sede y España vom 27. August 1953 (AAS 45, 1953, S. 625-656), Art. XIX Abs. 2. Original
    Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va), Art. XX
    „Gozarán de exención de impuestos y contribuciones de índole estatal o local“
    Concordato entre la Santa Sede y España vom 27. August 1953 (AAS 45, 1953, S. 625-656), Art. XX. Original

Original texts

Original text Article XXVI of the concordat

En todos los centros docentes de cualquier orden y grado, sean estatales o no estatales, la enseñanza se ajustará a los principios del Dogma y de la Moral de la Iglesia Católica.

Translation (unofficial)

In all educational establishments of every order and level, whether state or non-state, teaching shall conform to the principles of the Dogma and Morals of the Catholic Church.

Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va): Concordato entre la Santa Sede y España vom 27. August 1953 (AAS 45, 1953, S. 625-656), Art. XXVI. Original

See also

Original documents to read

  1. Church document
    Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va): Concordato entre la Santa Sede y España vom 27. August 1953 (AAS 45, 1953, S. 625-656), 27 August 1953. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
  2. Church document
    Heiliger Stuhl, Staatssekretariat (vatican.va): Acuerdos entre la Santa Sede y el Estado español vom 3. Januar 1979, 3 January 1979. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
  3. Government report
    Boletín Oficial del Estado, Spanien: Ley 52/2007, de 26 de diciembre (BOE núm. 310), 27 December 2007. Original · Archive copy (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
Change log (1)

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Last changed on 31 October 2026. Is something missing or wrong? Suggest an addition or correction.