Religion: Shuffle in Spain

For Spain's Pedro Cardinal Segura y Sáenz, in Don Juan's famous line, hell is a city much like Seville. In his terrible-tempered way, Segura has borne down on the gay, fun-loving people of his Seville diocese, suppressed their dances, banned movies, shuttered nightclubs and anathemized what he regarded as "licentious customs." In pastoral letters, Segura, 73, has longed for the days of the "meritorious Inquisition" and has denounced even Spain's limited religious toleration as falsely assuming that "all religions are equally acceptable in the presence of God."

For this stand, Segura has become almost as unpopular with many of his...