As this year, the Basque Government will pay EUR 581,616,85 to the Catholic Church for the next three years, so that there is “religious and spiritual care” in public hospitals. This has been decided by Rosa Pérez, President of Osakidetza, and Joseba Segura, bishop of Bilbao. “Spiritual care is becoming increasingly important, as the health service is increasingly focused on the well-being and autonomy of each person,” explains government sources.

According to El Diario, the decision is framed in the agreement adopted by the Spanish State and the Vatican in 1979 and updated in 2018. Such an agreement shall be extended for four years, if the parties so agree, and shall take care of the religious relationship to exist. In particular, it authorizes the Catholic Church to carry out its activities in public facilities such as communions, baptisms and weddings.

Among the agreed points is that the service will be “permanent” and “stable presence” of the Church in hospitals. Osakidetza will therefore be responsible for preparing chapels, oratories and offices and for informing the Catholic offer.

More atheists or not?

Osakidetza has recognized that there is less and less relationship with the Catholic Church and that society is increasingly “heterogeneous and plural”. In fact, in a survey conducted in 2021, 30% of the population recognizes that they are not related to Catholicism.