RELIGION

The state religion in Costa Rica is Roman Catholicism as mandated by the Constitution of 1949, but most Costa Ricans are comparatively tepid when it comes to religion. The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. The Constitution establishes Roman Catholicism as the state religion. However, persons of all denominations freely practice their religion without government interference. Some of the other religious groups are Protestants, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, etc. These sects found in many places of Costa Rica never tend to be any kind of majority, although they are certainly on the rise and quite uproarious compared to the traditional religions.

The smallest towns have their own churches or chapels. When you drive by dirt roads in the more distant towns of Costa Rica, especially on Sundays, you will see lots of people walking to the Sunday Catholic or Protestant services. Older people tend to be more pious than younger ones, but it is undeniable that even without attending church a vast majority of the population considers itself catholic and have an inherited respect for the church.

Much of the information on our site as it relates to Costa Rica is:

Courtesy of Christopher P. Baker and Avalon Travel Publishing.
© 2004 Christopher P. Baker. All Rights Reserved.

Spanish Abroad, Inc. highly recommends Christopher P. Baker's book: Moon Handbooks Costa Rica. Click on the image to visit his website where you can purchase this book or find out more about the author.