International Day for Secularism and Freedom of Conscience

As every celebration anchors its date in historical moments. On December 9 back in 1905, France passed the Law of Separation of Churches and the State, establishing an indispensable procedure for the secularity of the State.

Agreed by the Spanish entity Europa Laica, in 1910, to coincide with the approval of the French law of separation of the State from religions in 1905 and the day the non-confessional Spanish Constitution of the II Republic was proclaimed in 1931.

Secularism is a fundamental rule for the organization of a State under the rule of law. It is based on three principles of simple enunciation: 1º) Freedom of conscience for all, 2º) Equal treatment for all people and 3º) Search of the common good as the only reason of the State. These principles are accompanied by essential procedures (necessary but not sufficient): Separation of the Churches and the State and Neutrality of the State with respect to all beliefs.

That is to say, the Secular State is constituted in a general framework that includes all the different ways of understanding existence, so that in its structure it cannot include, much less privilege, any of them.