Portugal has no official religion. The most predominant religion in Portugal is Roman Catholicism. According to the 2011 Census, 81% of the population of Portugal is Catholic, though only about 19% attend mass and take the sacraments regularly, while a larger number wish to be baptized, married in a church, and receive Last Rites.
Although Church and State were formally separated during the Portuguese First Republic (1910–1926), a separation reiterated in the constitution of 1976, Roman Catholic precepts continue to have a significant bearing in Portuguese society and culture. The educational and health care systems were for a long time the Church's preserve, and in many cases, whenever a building, bridge, or highway was opened, it received a blessing from the Clergy. Although Church and State are formally separate, the Catholic Church still receives certain privileges. Statistically, religious practice increases with increasing age, the younger generations showing less evidence of religious practice than the older.
Read more about Religion In Portugal: History, Religious Practices, Other Non-Catholic Religious Groups, Non-Christian, Atheism and Agnosticism, See Also
Famous quotes containing the word religion:
“Talk to me about the truth of religion and I’ll listen gladly. Talk to me about the duty of religion and I’ll listen submissively. But don’t come talking to me about the consolations of religion or I shall suspect that you don’t understand.”
—C.S. (Clive Staples)