From the Continent: Church and State in Europe

The “wall of separation” between church and state in America, which was so hotly debated in the last presidential election, gives the impression that many Americans believe collaboration between the spiritual and the temporal smacks of monarchy— Throne and Altar—and Roman Catholicism. As far as Europe is concerned, this is far from true.

Various European countries had or still have established churches of one Christian denomination while they tolerate or even support other denominations. In fact, it is accurate to say that all governments of Western Europe collaborate in one way or another with religious bodies. Naturally, treatment of the various faiths differs from country to country and sometimes even from one region of a country to another. In the past, Spain prohibited non-Catholic denominations from spreading their teachings and insisted that they had to worship “in private,” meaning that they couldn’t have any church tower or bells. But members of these denominations weren’t curtailed in their civic rights. Sweden, for its part, permitted Catholics to spread their teachings, but until 1952 it wouldn’t permit a Catholic to become a cabinet member or to teach in an elementary school. To obtain a passport, Catholics had to have a certificate of good moral behavior from the Lutheran pastor in whose parish they lived. Until a generation ago, Norway denied entry to Jesuits; and Switzerland, unable to deport its own Jesuits (Swiss citizens, after all), didn’t permit them to teach or to preach sermons. They could address the congregation in street clothes —but not from the pulpit.

EK

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Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn

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The “wall of separation” between church and state in America, which was so hotly debated in the last presidential election, gives the impression that many Americans believe collaboration between the spiritual and the temporal smacks of monarchy— Throne and Altar—and Roman Catholicism. As far as Europe is concerned, this is far from true.

Various European countries had or still have established churches of one Christian denomination while they tolerate or even support other denominations. In fact, it is accurate to say that all governments of Western Europe collaborate in one way or another with religious bodies. Naturally, treatment of the various faiths differs from country to country and sometimes even from one region of a country to another. In the past, Spain prohibited non-Catholic denominations from spreading their teachings and insisted that they had to worship “in private,” meaning that they couldn’t have any church tower or bells. But members of these denominations weren’t curtailed in their civic rights. Sweden, for its part, permitted Catholics to spread their teachings, but until 1952 it wouldn’t permit a Catholic to become a cabinet member or to teach in an elementary school. To obtain a passport, Catholics had to have a certificate of good moral behavior from the Lutheran pastor in whose parish they lived. Until a generation ago, Norway denied entry to Jesuits; and Switzerland, unable to deport its own Jesuits (Swiss citizens, after all), didn’t permit them to teach or to preach sermons. They could address the congregation in street clothes —but not from the pulpit.