Editing Dominican Republic (section)

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in the Dominican Republic}}
[[File:Basílica Menor de Santa María SD RD 02 2017 1941.jpg|thumb|The Gothic [[Basilica Cathedral of Santa María la Menor|Cathedral of Santa María la Menor]], Santo Domingo, is the oldest cathedral in the Americas, built between 1514 and 1541.]]

'''95.0% ''' Christians <br />
'''2.6% ''' No religion <br />
'''2.2% ''' Other religions <ref>[http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_70_2.asp Dominican Republic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624232219/http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_70_2.asp |date=June 24, 2017 }}. The Association of Religion Data Archives</ref>

[[Christianity]] is the most widely professed religion in the Dominican Republic.<ref name=":usirf" /> Historically, [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] dominated the religious practices of the country, and as the [[State religion|official religion]] of the state it receives financial support from the government.<ref name=":usirf" /> {{as of|2014}}, 57% of the population (5.7 million) identified themselves as [[Roman Catholics]] and 23% (2.3 million) as [[Protestants]] (in Latin American countries, Protestants are often called ''Evangelicos'' because they emphasize personal and public evangelising and many are [[Evangelical Protestant]] or of a [[Pentecostal]] group). From 1896 to 1907 missionaries from the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal]], [[Free Methodist]], [[Seventh-day Adventist]] and [[Moravians]] churches began work in the Dominican Republic.<ref name="Religious Transformations">{{cite journal|first=Daniel F. |last=Escher |url=https://depts.washington.edu/chid/intersections_Winter_2009/Daniel_F._Escher_Protestant_Movement_in_the_Dominican_Republic.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908154056/https://depts.washington.edu/chid/intersections_Winter_2009/Daniel_F._Escher_Protestant_Movement_in_the_Dominican_Republic.pdf |archive-date=2017-09-08 |url-status=live |title=Religious Transformations: The Protestant Movement in the Dominican Republic |journal=Intersections |volume=10 |number=1 |date=2009 |pages=519–570}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PSovBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA94|title=Historical Dictionary of the Seventh-Day Adventists|first=Gary|last=Land|date=October 23, 2014|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|via=Google Books|isbn=9781442241886|access-date=January 11, 2024|archive-date=January 11, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111010041/https://books.google.com/books?id=PSovBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA94#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Three percent of the 10.63 million Dominican Republic population are Seventh-day Adventists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adventistdirectory.org/ViewAdmField.aspx?AdmFieldID=DMUM|title=Dominican Union Conference - Adventist Organizational Directory|website=www.adventistdirectory.org|access-date=January 11, 2024|archive-date=September 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908155329/http://www.adventistdirectory.org/ViewAdmField.aspx?AdmFieldID=DMUM|url-status=live}}</ref> Recent immigration as well as proselytizing efforts have brought in other religious groups, with the following shares of the population: [[Kardecist spiritism|Spiritist]]: 2.2%,<ref name="religiousfreedom" /> [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]: 1.3%,<ref>[https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/dominican-republic "Dominican Republic: Facts and Statistics"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200415141012/https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/dominican-republic |date=April 15, 2020 }}, ''[[Church News]]'', 2020. Retrieved on March 25, 2020.</ref> [[Buddhism|Buddhist]]: 0.1%, [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼí]]: 0.1%,<ref name="religiousfreedom" /> [[Chinese Folk Religion]]: 0.1%,<ref name="religiousfreedom">{{cite web|url=http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/nationprofiles/Dominican_Republic/rbodies.html|title=Religious Freedom Page |access-date=February 27, 2009|work=religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617175719/http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/nationprofiles/Dominican_Republic/rbodies.html |archive-date=June 17, 2008}}</ref> Islam: 0.02%, Judaism: 0.01%.

The Catholic Church began to lose its strong dominance in the late 19th century. This was due to a lack of funding, priests, and support programs. During the same time, [[Protestant]] Evangelicalism began to gain wider support "with their emphasis on personal responsibility and family rejuvenation, economic entrepreneurship, and biblical [[fundamentalism]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/christianity/roman-catholic-orders-and-missions/dominicans|title=Dominicans – Encyclopedia of World Cultures|website=encyclopedia.com|access-date=September 14, 2019|archive-date=April 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419175034/https://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/christianity/roman-catholic-orders-and-missions/dominicans|url-status=live}}</ref> The Dominican Republic has two Catholic patroness saints: ''Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia'' (Our Lady Of High Grace) and ''Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes'' (Our Lady Of Mercy).

The Dominican Republic has historically granted extensive religious freedom. According to the [[United States Department of State]], "The constitution specifies that there is no state church and provides for freedom of religion and belief. A concordat with the Vatican designates Catholicism as the official religion and extends special privileges to the Catholic Church not granted to other religious groups. These include the legal recognition of church law, use of public funds to underwrite some church expenses, and complete exoneration from customs duties."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/502105c67d.html|title=Refworld &#124; 2011 Report on International Religious Freedom – Dominican Republic|first=United Nations High Commissioner for|last=Refugees|website=Refworld|access-date=August 4, 2020|archive-date=April 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417044431/https://www.refworld.org/docid/502105c67d.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 1950s restrictions were placed upon churches by the government of Trujillo. Letters of protest were sent against the mass arrests of government adversaries. Trujillo began a campaign against the Catholic Church and planned to arrest priests and bishops who preached against the government. This campaign ended before it was put into place, with his assassination.

During World War II a group of Jews escaping [[Nazi Germany]] fled to the Dominican Republic and founded the city of [[Sosúa]]. It has remained the center of the Jewish population since.<ref>{{cite web|author=Richard Haggerty|title=Dominican Republic: A Country Study: Religion|publisher=U.S. Library of Congress|year=1989|url=http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/33.htm|access-date=May 21, 2006|archive-date=September 23, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923042535/http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/33.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>