Freedom of religion in Cape Verde
Encyclopedia
The constitution
provides for freedom of religion
, and the government generally respected this right in practice. Government policy continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion. There were no reports of societal abuses or discrimination
based on religious belief or practice.
is an archipelago
consisting of 10 islands, 9 of which are inhabited. It has an area of 1557 square miles (4,032.6 km²) and a population of 458,000, according to the National Statistics Institute. More than 85 percent of the population is nominally Roman Catholic, according to an informal poll
taken by local churches. The largest Protestant denomination is the Church of the Nazarene
. Other groups include the Seventh-day Adventist Church
, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), the Assemblies of God
, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
, and various other Pentecostal and evangelical groups. There are small Bahá'í communities and a small but growing Muslim
community. The number of atheists is estimated at less than 1 percent of the population.
There is no association between religious differences and ethnic or political affiliations; however, the Catholic hierarchy is sympathetic to the Movement for Democracy (MPD) party, which ruled the country from 1991 to 2001. While many Catholics once were hostile toward the Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), which became the governing party in 2001, some have become supporters of the PAICV due to conflict within the MPD party and dissatisfaction over the latter's performance.
There were foreign missionary
groups operating in the country.
, and the government generally respected this right in practice. The government at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
The constitution protects the right of individuals to choose and change their religion and to interpret their religious beliefs for themselves.
The Penal Code, which entered into force in 2004, states that violations of religious freedom are crime
s subject to a penalty of between 3 months' and 3 years' imprisonment.
There is no state religion. The constitution provides for the separation of church and state and prohibits the state from imposing any religious beliefs and practices.
The Catholic Church enjoys a privileged status in national life. For example, the government provides the Catholic Church with free television
broadcast
time for religious services. Also, the government observes the Christian holy days of Ash Wednesday
, Good Friday
, Easter
, All Saints' Day, and Christmas
as official holidays. Furthermore, each municipality has a holiday to honor its patron saint. The government does not observe any other religious holidays.
The constitution provides for freedom of association
. All associations, whether religious or secular, must register with the Ministry of Justice to be recognized as legal entities.
Registration is mandatory under the constitution and the law of associations. There are no special incentives for registering and failure to do so has not resulted in penalty or prosecution. One disadvantage of not registering is the inability of unregistered groups to apply for government or private loan
s and benefits as an association.
To register, a religious group must submit to the Ministry of Justice a copy of its charter and statutes, signed by the members of the group. The constitution sets forth the criteria for all associations, including religious ones, and states that the association may not be military or armed; may not be aimed at promoting violence
, racism
, xenophobia
, or dictatorship
; and may not be in violation of the penal law
. Failure to register with the Ministry of Justice does not result in any restriction on religious belief or practice.
There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the country.
based on religious belief or practice.
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
provides for freedom of religion
Freedom of religion
Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any...
, and the government generally respected this right in practice. Government policy continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion. There were no reports of societal abuses or discrimination
Religious discrimination
Religious discrimination is valuing or treating a person or group differently because of what they do or do not believe.A concept like that of 'religious discrimination' is necessary to take into account ambiguities of the term religious persecution. The infamous cases in which people have been...
based on religious belief or practice.
Religious demography
Cape VerdeCape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
is an archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
consisting of 10 islands, 9 of which are inhabited. It has an area of 1557 square miles (4,032.6 km²) and a population of 458,000, according to the National Statistics Institute. More than 85 percent of the population is nominally Roman Catholic, according to an informal poll
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
taken by local churches. The largest Protestant denomination is the Church of the Nazarene
Church of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...
. Other groups include the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), the Assemblies of God
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God is a Pentecostal Christian organisation established in Brazil on July 9, 1977, with a presence in many countries...
, and various other Pentecostal and evangelical groups. There are small Bahá'í communities and a small but growing Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community. The number of atheists is estimated at less than 1 percent of the population.
There is no association between religious differences and ethnic or political affiliations; however, the Catholic hierarchy is sympathetic to the Movement for Democracy (MPD) party, which ruled the country from 1991 to 2001. While many Catholics once were hostile toward the Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), which became the governing party in 2001, some have become supporters of the PAICV due to conflict within the MPD party and dissatisfaction over the latter's performance.
There were foreign missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
groups operating in the country.
Legal and policy framework
The constitution provides for freedom of religionFreedom of religion
Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any...
, and the government generally respected this right in practice. The government at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
The constitution protects the right of individuals to choose and change their religion and to interpret their religious beliefs for themselves.
The Penal Code, which entered into force in 2004, states that violations of religious freedom are crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
s subject to a penalty of between 3 months' and 3 years' imprisonment.
There is no state religion. The constitution provides for the separation of church and state and prohibits the state from imposing any religious beliefs and practices.
The Catholic Church enjoys a privileged status in national life. For example, the government provides the Catholic Church with free television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcast
Broadcast
Broadcast or Broadcasting may refer to:* Broadcasting, the transmission of audio and video signals* Broadcast, an individual television program or radio program* Broadcast , an English electronic music band...
time for religious services. Also, the government observes the Christian holy days of Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...
, Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
, Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, All Saints' Day, and Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
as official holidays. Furthermore, each municipality has a holiday to honor its patron saint. The government does not observe any other religious holidays.
The constitution provides for freedom of association
Freedom of association
Freedom of association is the individual right to come together with other individuals and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests....
. All associations, whether religious or secular, must register with the Ministry of Justice to be recognized as legal entities.
Registration is mandatory under the constitution and the law of associations. There are no special incentives for registering and failure to do so has not resulted in penalty or prosecution. One disadvantage of not registering is the inability of unregistered groups to apply for government or private loan
Loan
A loan is a type of debt. Like all debt instruments, a loan entails the redistribution of financial assets over time, between the lender and the borrower....
s and benefits as an association.
To register, a religious group must submit to the Ministry of Justice a copy of its charter and statutes, signed by the members of the group. The constitution sets forth the criteria for all associations, including religious ones, and states that the association may not be military or armed; may not be aimed at promoting violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
, racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, xenophobia
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
, or dictatorship
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
; and may not be in violation of the penal law
Penal law
In the most general sense, penal is the body of laws that are enforced by the State in its own name and impose penalties for their violation, as opposed to civil law that seeks to redress private wrongs...
. Failure to register with the Ministry of Justice does not result in any restriction on religious belief or practice.
Restrictions on religious freedom
Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free practice of religion.There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the country.
Forced religious conversion
There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or of the refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States.Societal abuses and discrimination
There were no reports of societal abuses or discriminationDiscrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
based on religious belief or practice.