Mercedes Rico

Rico's mother was Josefina Carabias [es] (1912–1980), one of Spain's first female journalists, who documented the Spanish Civil War.

Her older sister was the writer Carmen Rico Godoy (1939–2001), who was born in Paris shortly after the war, as their parents claimed asylum due to their socialist and republican views.

[1] In 2004, Rico was named in charge of the General Directorate for Religious Affairs in the Ministry of Justice under Juan Fernando López Aguilar, in the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

Zapatero's government enacted socially liberal policies such as same-sex marriage and divorce reform, leading to confrontations with the Catholic Church.

Prelates of the church refused to shake hands with ministers, and Rico was personally attacked on religious radio stations.