Church and State Clash, Noisily, in Spain.

Discusses the noisy confrontation building between the left-of-center government of Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and the Catholic Church hierarchy. Government's social reforms that adapt old laws to the liberal mores of today's Spain; Cabinet's approval of a draft law allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt children; Anticlerical caricatures and articles generated by the church's strong reaction; Issues of abortion, embryo research, divorce, religious instruction, and church financing; Response of senior church officials and conservative civilians to the reforms.