Bennett Briggs

The majority of Slovaks, roughly 62% of the population, belong to the Roman Catholic Church and identify themselves as Christian. This is particularly impressive considering the fact that Slovakia’s neighbor, and former partnering sovereign state, the Czech Republic, claims that 80% of her population is either atheist or “undecided” when it comes to religion. Additionally, 5.9% of Slovaks are Lutherans, 3.8% Greek Catholics, and 13.4% claim no religious affiliation.

Laws, regulations, and policies in Slovakia protect religious groups, and citizens enjoy the freedom to practice their religion without any government interference. Part of this may be a result of the extremely difficult process of becoming a recognized religion in Slovakia. To register as a religious group, 20,000 adult members who are either citizens or permanent residents are required. They must submit to the Ministry of Culture an “honest declaration” verifying their membership and general knowledge of the basic tenets of the religion. An additional reason for such an exuberant registration process it that the 18 registered churches and religious groups receive more than 30 million euros ($40.1 million) in state subsidies. Some smaller groups choose not to register (or cannot, due to insufficient numbers), but registration confers the legal status necessary to not only do economic things like opening a bank account or renting property, but also gives religious personnel authority to do social things, such as presiding at a burial ceremony or gaining access to hospitalized members of their congregation.

The only reports of discrimination or harassment have been anti-semantics from extremist groups who deny the Holocaust and call for a re-awakening of the World War II-era fascist state. Somewhat as a result of this, two property-restitution laws, with a filing deadline of April 30, 2006, permit religious groups to re-claim agricultural land, forests, and other nonreligious property that was confiscated between May 8, 1945 and January 1, 1990. For the Jewish community, an earlier date of November 2, 1938, applies.