Religion in San Marino
San Marino is a small land locked country with an area of 37.57 sqkm in central Italy. As of 2005, it had a population of 28,100. It is multireligious country and the law of the land enshrines the principle of freedom of religion. The country does not provide exact statistics of the religious affiliations of its people. However, it is inferred that 95% of the people are Roman Catholics, like Italy.[1][2] but with a historical Jewish and Protestant minority. There are other small groups including Jehovah's Witnesses, those of the Bahá'í Faith, Muslims, and Waldensians church.[1][3] San Marino's schools are all public and financial support is provided by the State; there are no private religious schools.[1][3]
According to the International Religious Freedom Report, 2005 of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, there is harmonious relationship among all religious groups and the government strives to “protect this right in full and does not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors”.[1]
According to a a Parliamentary Rule passed in 1993, the oath taking formality prescribe for Parliamentarians, the ath of loyalty was changed fro the 1903 words of "Holy Gospel" to "on my honor." This legal "formulation" has also been upheld by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).[1]
Roman Catholicism
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San Marino is a predominantly Catholic state[2] — over 97% of the population profess the Catholic faith, but it is not the established religion. Approximately half of those who profess to be Catholic practice the faith.[4] There is no episcopal see in San Marino. Historically, the various parishes in San Marino were divided between two Italian dioceses, mostly in the Diocese of Montefeltro, and partly in the Diocese of Rimini. In 1977, the border between Montefeltro and Rimini was readjusted so that all of San Marino fell within the diocese of Montefeltro. The bishop of Montefeltro-San Marino resides in Pennabilli, in Italy.
However, there is a proviso under the Income tax rules that the tax payers have the right to request for allocation of 0.3 % of their income tax to the Catholic Church or to "other" charities. The Churches include the two religious groups of the Waldesian Church and Jehovah's Witnesses.[1]
Judaism
There has been a Jewish presence in San Marino for at least 600 years.[5]
The first mention of Jews in San Marino dates to the late 14th century, in official documents recording the business transactions of Jews. There are many documents throughout the 15th to 17th centuries describing Jewish dealings and verifying the presence of a Jewish community in San Marino. Jews were required to wear special badges and live by specific restrictions, but were also permitted official protection from the government.
During World War II, San Marino provided a harbor for more than 100,000 Italians ( which was 1000 percent of the then population of the country) and Jews from Nazi persecution. This action was considered a proud act by the citizens and government officials of the country. Today, there are only small numbers of Jews in San Marino.[1][6]
Protestanism
A Protestant minority exists in San Marino, largely belong to the Waldensian Church of Piedmont.[1]
Other
National holidays are declared to observe Epiphany, Saint Agatha, Easter, Corpus Domini, All Saints' Day, Commemoration of the Dead, Immaculate Conception, and Christmas.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "San Marino". International Religious Freedom Report 2005. US Department of State: Diplomacy in Action. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
- ^ a b "People of San Marino". CIA World Fact Book. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ a b Larkin, Barbara (2001). International Religious Freedom (2000): Annual Report: Submitted by the U.S. Department of State (see 0-7567-1338-2 for ‘01 ed.). DIANE Publishing. pp. 374â375. ISBN 0756712297.
{{cite book}}: C1 control character in|pages=at position 5 (help) - ^ World and Its Peoples. Marshall Cavendish. 2009. p. 856. ISBN 0761478930.
- ^ jewishencyclopedia.com
- ^ jewishvirtuallibrary.org