els strives to protect this right in full, and does not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
The Constitution provides for the right to practice the religion of one's choice and also provides for the right to change religion or faith, as well as the right to refrain from any religious affiliation. The Government observes and enforces these provisions in practice.
The law provides for freedom of religion and defines the status of churches and religious groups, including those groups not registered with the Government. It does not prohibit the existence of nontraditional religions. It allows the Government to enter agreements with churches and religious communities. The law is applied and enforced in a nondiscriminatory fashion.
Governmental entities at all levels, including the courts, interpret the law in a way that protects religious freedom.
No official state religion exists; however, because of the numbers of adherents, Catholicism is considered the dominant religion. The Catholic Church receives significantly larger government subsidies because it is the most populous Church. In November 2001, the Government signed an international treaty with the Vatican, which provides the legal framework for relations between the Catholic Church, the Government, and the Vatican. In April 2002, the Government signed an agreement with an additional 11 registered churches and religious groups in an attempt to counterbalance the Vatican agreement with the Catholic Church and provide equal status to the remaining registered churches; however, the agreement only possesses national force. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously negotiated a treaty with the Vatican to define the framework of church-state relations and mutual commitments.
Registration of churches is not required, but under existing law, only registered churches and religious organizations have the explicit right to conduct public worship services and other activities, although no specific religions or practices are banned or discouraged by the authorities in practice. Those that register receive government benefits including subsidies for clergymen and office expenses. Government funding also is provided to church schools and to teachers who lecture on religion in state schools. The Government occasionally subsidizes one-time projects and significant church activities, and religious societies are partly exempt from paying taxes and import custom fees. A religion may elect not to accept the subsidies. In 2001 the New Apostolic Church was registered, raising the number of registered churches from 15 to 16.
To register a new religion, it is necessary to submit a list of 20,000 permanent residents who adhere to that religion. There have been no cases in which a religious order was refused registration, and the religions already established before the law passed in 1991 were exempt from the minimum membership requirement.
There are no specific licensing or registration requirements for foreign missionaries or religious organizations. The law allows all churches and religious communities and enables them to send out their representatives as well as to receive foreign missionaries without limitation. Missionaries neither need special permission to stay in the country, nor are their activities regulated in any way. There were no reports that religions were denied registration or that any religious groups did not attempt to register because of the belief that their application would not be approved.
Public school curriculum allows students to choose to study religion or ethics from grade five to grade nine. These courses often are taught by religious leaders, and the churches themselves are responsible for providing instructors, although their salaries are covered from the government budget. There is a lack of appropriate teachers for certain religions. Some church representatives complain that the status of religious lecturers is not equal with that of regular teachers. Religious lecturers usually are hired on contract and are not paid during the 2 mont