Religion in Croatia

A religious mosaic in the Euphrasian Basilica

Mosque in Zagreb

Freedom of religion is a right defined by the Constitution of Croatia, which also defines all religious communities as equal in front of the law and separate from the state. A large majority of the Croatian population declares themselves as religious believers.

Demographics

The percentage of population of Croatia by county who identify with a religion as opposed to that irreligious (census 2011).

According to the 2011 census the majority of Croatians (86%) belong to the Roman Catholic Church. Croatia and Poland are the two most Catholic Slavic countries. Orthodox Christians make up 4.42 percent of the population, Muslims 1.47 percent, and Protestants 0.41 percent of the population. 4.57% of Croatians are non-believers or agnostics.^[1] In the Eurostat Eurobarometer Poll of 2005, 67% of the population of Croatia responded that "they believe there is a God". In a 2009 Gallup poll, 70% answered yes to the question "Is religion an important part of your daily life?"^[2]

Interaction between religious and secular life

Public schools allow religious teaching in cooperation with religious communities having agreements with the state, but attendance is not mandated. Religion classes (Croatian: vjeronauk) are organized widely in public elementary and secondary schools, most commonly coordinated with the Catholic Church.

The public holidays in Croatia also include the religious festivals (Croatian: blagdan) of Epiphany, Easter Monday, Corpus Christi Day, Assumption Day, All Saints' Day, Christmas, and St. Stephen's or Boxing Day. The primary holidays are based on the Catholic liturgical year, but other believers are legally allowed to celebrate other major religious holidays.

Marriages conducted by the religious communities having agreements with the state are officially recognized, eliminating the need to register the marriages in the civil registry office.

Denominations

The Roman Catholic Church in Croatia receives state financial support and other benefits established in concordats between the Government and the Vatican. The concordats and other government agreements with non-Roman Catholic religious communities allow state financing for some salaries and pensions for religious officials through government-managed pension and health funds.^[3]

The concordats and agreements also regulate public school catechisms and military chaplains.^[3]

In line with the concordats signed with the Roman Catholic Church and in an effort to further define their rights and privileges within a legal framework, the government has additional agreements with the following 14 religious communities:^{[3] [4]}

• Serb Orthodox Church (SPC)
• Islamic Community of Croatia
• Evangelical Church
• Reformed Christian Church in Croatia
• Protestant Reformed Christian Church in Croatia
• Pentecostal Church
• Union of Pentecostal Churches of Christ
• Christian Adventist Church
• Union of Baptist Churches
• Church of God
• Church of Christ
• Reformed Movement of Seventh-day Adventists
• Bulgarian Orthodox Church
• Macedonian Orthodox Church
• Croatian Old Catholic Church

Legal status

The 2002 Law on the Legal Position of Religious Communities broadly defines religious communities' legal positions and covers such matters as government funding, tax benefits, and religious education in schools. Matters such as pensions for clergy; religious service in the military, penitentiaries, and police; and recognition of religious marriages are left to each religious community to negotiate separately with the Government.^[3]

Registration of religious groups is not obligatory; however, registered groups are granted "legal person" status and enjoy tax and other benefits. The law stipulates that to be eligible for registration, a religious group must have at least 500 believers and be registered as an association for 5 years. All religious groups in the country prior to passage of the law in 2002 were registered without having to meet these conditions; religious groups new to the country after passage of the law must fulfill the requirements for the minimum number of believers and time as an association. Religious groups based abroad must submit written permission for registration from their country of origin.^[3] Minister of Public Administration runs a Registry of religious organizations in Republic of Croatia, currently recognizing 62 religious communities (as of 2013).^[5]

See also

• Roman Catholicism in Croatia
• Orthodoxy in Croatia
• Islam in Croatia
• History of the Jews in Croatia
• Buddhism in Croatia
• Slavic Neopaganism

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Religion in Croatia.

• Registry of Religious Communities, Ministry of Public Administration, Government of the Republic of Croatia (Croatian)