Christianity in Mauritius
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Christianity in Mauritius is a religion adhered to by 32.7% of the population of Mauritius.[1] Of these, 80.3% are Roman Catholics. The Mauritian Creole and Franco-Mauritian ethnic groups are mostly Christian and significant parts of the Sino-Mauritian ethnic group are also mainly Christian.[2] Mauritius got independence during 1968 and there was no state religion in Mauritius defined in the constitution. The religious organizations present at the time of independence, namely, Roman Catholic Church, Church of England, Presbyterian Church, Seventh-day Adventist, Hindus and Muslims are recognized by parliamentary decree.
History
Christianity first came to Mauritius with the first inhabitants, the Dutch. However, the Dutch abandoned the island in 1710.[2] The French brought Christianity again when they arrived in 1715. From 1723, there was a law whereby all slaves coming to the island must be baptised Catholic.[3] This law does not seem to have been strictly adhered to.[3] After they had taken Mauritius from the French during the Napoleonic Wars, the British tried to turn Mauritius Protestant during the 1840s and 1850s.[3]
Franco-Mauritians, usually having the same religion and denomination as the Creoles, have sometimes emphasised their differences from the Creoles by practising more traditionally, for instance celebrating Mass in Latin.[4]
Government policies
Mauritius got independence during 1968 and there was no state religion in Mauritius defined in the constitution. The nation had no indigenous population nor any indigenous tribes or religion. The religious organizations present at the time of independence, namely, Roman Catholic Church, Church of England, Presbyterian Church, Seventh-day Adventist, Hindus and Muslims are recognized by parliamentary decree.[5]
See also
References
- ^ "Resident population by religion and sex" (PDF). Statistics Mauritius. p. 68. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
- ^ a b http://213.207.98.211/nl/33/IIAS_NL33_20.pdf
- ^ a b c Watson, James L. (1980). Asian and African systems of slavery. University of California Press. pp. 158–159 of 348. ISBN 978-0-520-04031-1. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
- ^ Hylland Eriksen, Thomas (1998). Common denominators: ethnicity, nation-building and compromise in Mauritius. Berg Publishers. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-85973-959-4. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
- ^ Juergensmeyer, Mark; Roof, Wade Clark, eds. (2011). Encyclopedia of Global Religion. SAGE Publications. p. 762. ISBN 9781452266565.
External links
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