Concordat of 1953

The Concordat of 1953 was the last classic concordat of the Catholic Church, signed on 27 August 1953 by Spain (under the rule of Francisco Franco) with the Vatican (during the pontificate of Pope Pius XII). Together with the Pact of Madrid, signed the same year, it was a significant effort to break Spain's international isolation after World War II.

In return for the granting by the Vatican of the "royal patronage" (Patronato real, the historical privilege of Spanish kings to appoint clerical figures) to Franco, the concordat gave the Catholic Church in Spain a set of privileges such as state funding and exemption from government taxation.

The Concordat of 1953 superseded the Concordat of 1851 between Pope Pius IX and Queen Isabella II and Franco's 1941 Convention with the Vatican.


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