The Concordat of 1954 is a concordat of the Catholic Church, signed on 16 June 1954 by the Dominican Republic (then governed by the Third Republic, under the rule of

Rafael Trujillo Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina ( , ; 24 October 189130 May 1961), nicknamed ''El Jefe'' (, "The Chief" or "The Boss"), was a Dominican dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic from February 1930 until his assassination in May 1961. He ser ...

) with the Vatican (during the pontificate of

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

Status of the Church

The Dominican Republic offers freedom of religion to its citizens, but the Catholic Church in the country still enjoys certain rights, and is the

state religion A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular state, secular, is not n ...

, due to the concordat.

Public funds for Church needs

Use of public funds for Church needs and low customs duties on Church goods are two favors given to the Catholic Church by the government.

Catholic marriage ceremonies

Catholic marriage ceremonies are the only religious marriage ceremonies that are recognized by the state, but marriages can also be performed by government officials. Certain Protestant churches have also asked for official recognition under this agreement.Dominican Catholic, Protestant churches spat over marriages

Relations with the Rafael Trujillo regime

Under

's government, the power of the Catholic Church was limited. Although the Church remained apolitical during much of the Trujillo era, a 1960 pastoral letter of protest against mass arrests of government opponents seriously strained the relationship with the government. The papal nuncio’s attempts to administer humanitarian aid during the 1965 Dominican Civil War were hampered and the struggle intensified.

Relations in the 1970s and 1980s

The bishops continued to issue statements of protest against human rights violations and poor living standards for the population throughout the 1970s and the 1980s.Wilson, Lamar C. and Patricia Kluck (1989). "Religion". Chapter 2 - Dominican Republic: The Society and Its Environment. I
A Country Study: Dominican Republic
Library of Congress (Call Number F1934.D64 2001). Retrieved 17 January 2007.

References

{{Reflist

External links

*Text of the Concordat
SpanishEnglish
20th century in the Dominican Republic Dominican Republic–Holy See relations Treaties concluded in 1954 Treaties entered into force in 1954

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

Treaties of the Dominican Republic 1954 in the Dominican Republic Christianity and law in the 20th century