Braulio Rodriguez, who is the Archbishop of Toledo, has faced a backlash for his comments made during a Mass at Toledo Cathedral on 27 December.
His opinion has since been published in the parish bulletin.
The root cause of violence or abuse in the home was a woman's 'disobedience', he claimed.
"The majority of cases of domestic violence happen because the woman's partner does not accept them, or rejects them for not accepting their demands," he said.
The Metro reports he also criticised 'false marriages' and 'quickie divorces'.
According to the paper there has been a call for him to be jailed for inciting violence against women.
Small protests have taken place across Spain.