ABSTRACT
The processes of democratisation evident in many parts of the globe since the mid-1970s have thrown up major challenges for religious institutions in general and the Roman Catholic Church in particular. For several centuries the latter institution had at best been sceptical about, and more commonly openly opposed, to democratic government, but during the post-war years the church came to favour and sometimes actively promote democratisation. In part this shift arose out of the post-war capitalistcommunist confrontation which made democracy look the lesser evil, but it also stemmed from the intellectual and practical decisions emerging from the Second Vatican Council. In consequence, in Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia many (though not all) national hierarchies came to support movements for political liberalisation. Hence in Spain a new generation of bishops led by Archbishop Tarancón sought to distance themselves from the Franco regime and to criticise its social and human rights policies, whilst in communist Poland the Catholic Church provided a major space and voice for those critical of the communist system. However, once democratic governance had been achieved the two national churches faced new problems as they sought to define their role in rapidly changing polities and societies.
