National Catholicism (nacionalcatolicismo) was part of the ideological identity of Francoism, the dictatorial regime with which Francisco Franco governed Spain between 1936 and 1975. Its most visible manifestation was the hegemony that the Catholic Church had in all aspects of public and private life.
The creation of the term is possibly pejorative, by comparison of the regime of Franco with the German National Socialism that was its ally. As a symbol of the ideological divisions within Francoism, it can be compared to National syndicalism (nacionalsindicalismo), an essential component of the ideology and political practice of the Falangists.
The ability of Franco successively to lean towards one or other of these factions, distributing responsibilities among them, was one of the keys to the maintenance of his power.