Religion in Portugal

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The most predominant religion in Portugal is Roman Catholicism. Approximately 84% of the population are nominally Catholic, but only about 19% attend mass and take the sacraments regularly. Yet a larger number wish to be baptized, married in the church, and receive last rites. Although church and state were formally separated during the Portuguese First Republic (1910-26), a separation reiterated in the constitution of 1976, Roman Catholic precepts continue to have a relative weight in the Portuguese society and culture. Many Portuguese holidays, festivals and traditions have a religious origin or connotation. The educational and health care systems were for a long time the church's preserve, and in many cases whenever a building, bridge, or highway was opened, it received a blessing from the clergy.