SAN JOSE: The country’s bishops have come out in opposition to moves to remove Costa Rica as the official religion of the Central American nation of Catholicism. They expressed concern that the attempt was now being made in the name of anti-Christianism and that a constitutional amendment would affect religious freedom. The Catholic Church has expressed its full support for the fellowship of Protestant churches. 70% of the country’s 50 million people are Christian. Most of them are members of the Catholic Church. Yet Maria Vita, deputy of the Social Christian Unity Party, has proposed a constitutional amendment.
Maria Vita proposed that no other religion in the region have an official religion. The memorandum issued by the bishop said that the proposals would not be of any help to protect the religious freedom of the people of the country. She said the justification for the constitutional amendment was anti-Catholic and supported only by a minority. Even the Protestant Fellowship is demanding that the Catholic Church maintain its status as the official religion of the country, pointing to the support it receives. The Bishop said that the country was born under the protection of Christian faith.
Fabrizio Alvarado, the presidential candidate of the New Republican Party in 2018, has been vociferously vocal against similar demands. Throughout his election campaign, he said he was trying to turn Costa Rica into an atheist state without God. But Carlos Alvarado, the leader of the Citizens Action Party, which supports gay marriage, abortion and liberal views, won the 2018 election. Everybody views the new move as an attempt to spread liberal views in the country.
