Abstract |
Merry del Val (1865-1930) played a significant role in the Catholic Church between 1903 and 1914, as Secretary of State of Pope Pius X. Merry was a critical witness in the political and religious events in Spain during those years and especially, he was an essential protagonist in the Church-State relations in the early years of the twentieth century. He was directly involved in church affairs (political unity of Catholics, the appointment of bishops and the creation of institutions of Spanish origin) and had to respond to the new separationist legislation of the Spanish government (the " locked law", religious associations, marriage and civil cemeteries). The new documents in archives -especially the records of the sessions from the Congregation of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs-, can portray Merry del Val different from the usual stereotypes in monographs. |