Ryan Davis

Although Andorra has no official state religion, the country’s constitution specifically mentions the Catholic Church and grants it privileges not held by other religious groups in the country.  The government, for example, employs all Catholic priests and the church is deemed to have “full legal capacity” in the country. Ninety percent of Andorra’s population is Catholic.

Andorra’s laws protect religious freedom generally, though, and minority groups in the country include Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Anglicans, Seventh-day Adventists, and Bahá’ís.

Public schools in Andorra are secular but the Catholic Church maintains a strong presence by providing teachers for religion classes outside of school hours.  In addition to its after-school youth programs, the Catholic Church also maintains, with official government sponsorship, three nongovernmental organizations.  Also, one of the two princes of Andorra is also a Catholic bishop in La Seu d’Urgell, Spain.

Because there are no official reports regarding religious affiliation in Andorra, little is known about the country’s minority religions.  Reportedly, minority religions struggle to obtain cemeteries in which to bury their dead and are forced to utilize cemeteries in the neighboring countries of France and Spain.  Andorra also lacks a legal definition of “religious worker” and some minority immigrant religious workers cannot obtain religious working permits as a result.