"The battle is lost"

Spain begins to succumb to the Dictatorship of Relativism. The once mighty bastion of orthodox Catholicism stumbles into the dark. The Spanish senate may have voted down gay "marriage". The lower house, however, will most likely pass it. More significantly, the issue enjoys the support of the majority according to the polls. Contrast their position with the US's, where eleven states passed resolutions at the polls this past election day that supported marriage exclusively for man and woman. The problem in Spain has been the Alter-and-Throne unity so common throughout much of Europe's history. In this case, Franco and the Church were too tight:

Spaniards have been shedding traditional Catholic doctrine from their private lives, and from the law, since the 1970s, the last days of the Franco regime, which was closely allied with the church hierarchy. Divorce and abortion were legalized in the 1980s and early 1990s under a Socialist government, although those early changes included many legal caveats that deferred to Catholicism.

The new century began with the conservative Popular Party in power and closely aligned with the church. But the pace of change picked up once the Socialists regained power last year.

Unfortunately, I've seen the same phenomena occur in Portugal. Another reason Catholicism stumbles both there and in Spain is cultural. Partly due to consumerism, partly due to the perception that a "modern" and "with-it" lifestyle, like one enjoyed in the US, is a secular one. Thus, many people regard practicing the Faith--and believing the teachings of the Church--as "old fashioned".

This is another reason why the new evangelization is so important, especially as applied to the media. The world needs to see the fullness of Faith in as it's practiced people's lives. It can no longer see the sad charactures that the media offers up on a regular basis. Until people see the real thing, expect further captivity of people's hearts to the Dictatorship.