The Accommodation of Religious Diversity in Prisons and Hospitals in Spain

The religious sphere in Spain is changing substantially, becoming simultaneously
more diverse and more secular. However, empirical research on the processes of
adaptation and response of public institutions to the new religious environment is still very scarce. This paper analyses the ways in which public institutions
respond to transformations in the religious sphere, and how the Catholic legacy
is negotiated within such contexts. By combining a legal and policy perspective
with an ethnographic approach to everyday practices within hospitals and
prisons in two Spanish regions, we shed light on the institution-specific and the
contextual factors that condition the de-confessionalization and the
accommodation of religious diversity in Spanish institutions. The findings show
some internal incoherence in the implementation of legal-political measures and
in the attitude of the Catholic Church.