U.S. Dep't of State, 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: San Marino

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The law prohibits religious discrimination and restrictions on religious freedom and provides for prosecution of religious hate crimes. Religious groups recognized by the government are eligible to receive contributions from income tax earmarked by individual taxpayers. The law requires Catholic religious instruction in all public schools but guarantees the right of nonparticipation without penalty, and it provides for alternative ethics classes for students who opt out of Catholic instruction. Catholic symbols remained common in government buildings, including schools and courtrooms.

A Catholic Mass at the Basilica of San Marino was a traditional part of the twice-yearly Captains Regent Investiture Ceremony. There were no reports of significant societal actions affecting religious freedom. The U.S. Consulate General in Florence, Italy, oversaw bilateral relations with San Marino. During her official visit in September, the Consul General discussed religious issues with governmental officials.

Section I. Religious Demography The U.S. government estimates the total population at 35,100 (midyear 2023). While it does not collect statistics on the size of religious groups, the San Marino government continues to report the vast majority of the population is Roman Catholic. Other religious groups present include Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Baha’i Faith, Islam, Judaism, Orthodox Christianity, and the Waldensian Church. According to a 2023 report on religious freedom in the country by the Roman Catholic organization Aid to the Church in Need International, the population is 91.5 percent Christian, 5.7 percent agnostic, 1.8 percent atheist, and 0.8 percent other.

Section II. Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom Legal Framework The Declaration of Citizen Rights and Fundamental Principles, which holds constitutional status, provides for freedom of religion and prohibits religious-based discrimination and restrictions on religious freedom, except for the protection of public order and general welfare. The criminal code provides for possible prison terms of six months to three years for discrimination, including that based on religion. Discrimination on the basis of religion may also constitute an aggravating circumstance for other types of crime.

In these cases, penalties may be increased. The law prohibits hate crimes and speech that defiles religious groups, with violators subject to imprisonment for a period of three months to one year. A concordat signed in 1992 between the government and the Holy See provides that Catholic chaplains deliver spiritual assistance to hospital patients, retirement home residents, and prison inmates. A fund established under the concordat in 1993 and drawn from citizens’ voluntary income tax allocations supports the Catholic Church’s humanitarian, welfare, and social activities as well as the maintenance of religious sites.

The law allows taxpayers to allocate 0.3 percent of their income tax payments to the Catholic Church or to other religious or secular groups recognized as nonprofit organizations. Taxpayers need not be members of a group to earmark a contribution. Religious organizations must be legally recognized in the country to receive this benefit. To obtain legal recognition, religious organizations are required to submit to the government evidence of nonprofit activities and annual reports, which include their budget, and the procedure required by the association for its approval.

The government may periodically audit and inspect organizations, require them to submit additional documentation, and investigate any complaints from organization members or third parties. The law forbids media professionals from generating and spreading information that may discriminate against someone on the basis of religion, among other factors. Anyone may report a case to the Authority for Information, a government body, which may take disciplinary action. The Authority for Information may issue sanctions for a violation of the code, ranging from a warning to censure, suspension, or removal from the professional register.

These sanctions are in addition to the ones already provided in the criminal code. There are no private religious schools, and the law requires religious education in public schools. Public schools offer only Catholic religious instruction. A 2018 addendum to the concordat grants Catholic instruction equal status with other subjects taught in schools.

The Catholic curriculum includes comparisons between Christianity and other religions and between the Bible and other religious texts. The Catholic Church selects the religious education teachers, who may be religious or lay personnel, and the state pays their salaries. The law provides students the right to opt out of religious instruction without penalty. Students (or their parents, if the student is younger than 18) must choose to opt out at the beginning of each school year.

The law requires students in primary and secondary schools who choose not to attend Catholic religious instruction to attend an alternative “ethics, culture, and society” class. The country is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Government Practices According to the most recent data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in 2022, 189 nonprofit organizations, the same number as in 2021, received contributions from taxpayers in accordance with the law. The government did not indicate how many of these organizations were religious, but among them were the Catholic Church, a number of Catholic associations, the Orthodox Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Baha’i Faith.

Catholic symbols remain common in government buildings, including schools and courtrooms. Crucifixes continued to hang on courtroom and government office walls. The government continues to maintain a public meditation and prayer site in the capital for use by worshippers of any religion. A Catholic Mass at the Basilica of San Marino is a traditional part of the twice-yearly Captains Regent Investiture Ceremony (the changing of heads of state), which takes place on April 1 and October 1.

Section III. Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom There were no reports of significant societal actions affecting religious freedom. Section IV. U.S. Government Policy and Engagement The U.S. Consulate General in Florence, Italy, oversaw bilateral relations with San Marino.

During her official visit in September, the Consul General discussed religious issues with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and other officials within his ministry. On This Page search > < EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Section I. Religious Demography Section II. Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom Legal Framework Government Practices Section III. Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom Section IV.

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