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Religious Freedom Summary* (1997) The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government respects this right in practice. All denominations practice their faiths without restriction. Although church and State are officially separate, the Roman Catholic Church receives official preferential treatment. Chile's 1-2 million Protestants assert that the Government discriminates against them, based upon differing legal status afforded to non-Catholics. They cite the absence of Protestant armed forces chaplains, difficulties for pastors to visit military hospitals, and the predominantly Catholic religious education in public schools. To remedy this situation, the lower house of Congress unanimously approved a bill to afford greater legal equality among all churches, but a Senate committee postponed further discussion on it until the new Congress convenes in March 1998. A 1995 Santiago municipal ordinance making it illegal to cause disturbances in the streets has been interpreted by some evangelical groups as designed to prevent them from proselytizing and preaching in public; however, there were no known cases of the law being enforced in this manner. *Source: County Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1997, U.S. Department of State |