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2000 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom: Monaco Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor U.S. Department of State, September 5, 2000

MONACO The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by this report. Relations among the various religious communities are amicable; however, proselytizing is strongly discouraged. The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the Government in the context of its overall dialog and policy of promoting human rights. Section I. Government Policies on Freedom of Religion Legal/Policy Framework The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. Roman Catholicism is the state religion. Most citizens adhere to Roman Catholicism. The Constitution provides the nearly 25,000 noncitizens who live in the principality with the same religious freedom as the approximately 6,000 citizens. Religious Demography There are five Catholic churches in the principality and a cathedral presided over by an archbishop. The Catholic Mass generally plays an important role in state festivities, such as the annual national day celebration. Protestantism is the next most practiced religion, with two churches in the principality. Most noncitizens also adhere to either Catholicism or Protestantism, although there are some residents who adhere to Judaism, Islam, or other world religions. There are no mosques or synagogues in the principality. Governmental Restrictions on Religious Freedom No missionaries operate in the principality; proselytizing is strongly discouraged. There is no law against proselytizing; however, any group or association that wants to be active must, under the Civil Code, obtain permission to operate from the Government, and religious "sects" routinely are denied such permission. There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by this report. There were no reports of religious detainees or prisoners. Forced Religious Conversion of Minor U.S. Citizens There were no reports of the forced religious conversion of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or of the Government's refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States. Section II. Societal Attitudes Relations among the various religious communities present in the principality are amicable. Section III. U.S. Government Policy The U.S. Consulate in Marseille, France discusses religious freedom issues with the Government in the overall context of the promotion of human rights. [end of document] Europe and the New Independent States Index | Table of Contents | International Religious Freedom | Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor |