The Application of the Principle of Gender Equality to Catholic Church Associations. Real and Apparent Conflicts
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Abstract
This article focuses on the application of the principle of gender equality to the Catholic Church in the field of non-labor associative relationships, in the context of a recent decision of the Spanish Supreme Court. The ruling recognizes the right of a Catholic association to admit only male members. This controversy raises a number of important issues, both from the point of view of possible conflicting rights (equality and organizational autonomy), and from the point of view of public opinion, in relation to a hypothetical discrimination against women in religious institutions in general, and in the Catholic Church in particular. The purpose of the paper is to analyze the various elements of the problem, trying to distinguish real conflicts, at a legal level, from merely apparent contradictions. It also provides some criteria to assess cases of this kind.
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References
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