Legal framework on freedom of religion and actual application
The Liechtenstein Constitution declares the Roman Catholic Church to be the State Church providing it full protection of the State in Article 37. This article also guarantees freedom of religious belief and conscience to all persons and permits other confessions (apart from the State religion) to practise their creeds and to hold religious services to the extent consistent with morality and public order. Freedom of expression (Article 40), association (Article 41), and assembly (Article 41), as well as equality of rights under the law (Article 31,1), are also guaranteed by the Constitution. Finally, Article 39 states that civil and political rights are not dependent on religious belief, nor may religious belief allow people to neglect their civil obligations.
There is no law requiring religious groups to register with the state. Religious groups have the freedom to establish private associations but require authorisation from the commercial registry. If they register, they are eligible for government funding for a variety of activities, including the provision of religious education in schools.
The benefits that the Roman Catholic Church receives are provided by the state and by the municipalities, with the amount varying depending on the municipality. Priests are considered municipal employees. The state and municipalities also provide financial support to the Protestant Reformed Church and to the Reformed-Lutheran Church.
Religious education is required in primary and secondary public schools. In primary schools, Catholic or Protestant Reformed religious education is compulsory. However, parents are permitted to apply to the Office of Education for exemption. Islamic education is also offered (but is not compulsory) in primary schools. Religious communities provide teachers for Catholic, Protestant Reformed, and Islamic religious instruction and the Office of Education pays their salaries, in whole or in part.
In secondary schools, parents and students are given a choice between a course in Catholic religious education, organised by the Catholic community and paid for by the government, or a general, sociological course about religion and culture.
The Criminal Code of Liechtenstein prohibits public incitement of hatred or discrimination against individuals or religious groups in different forms, as provided in its Section 8 on “Offences against religious peace and the peace of the dead”. The criminal code also forbids refusing to serve a person or group of persons based on their religious affiliation, as well as membership in any association that promotes discrimination against religious groups or individuals.
The slaughtering of animals without stunning is outlawed, thus making ritual slaughter for kosher and halal meat illegal (Articles 20.1 and 20.2 of the Animal Protection Act (TSchG). However, importing kosher or halal meat is legal.
Incidents and developments
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE-ODIHR) received the official data recorded by the Liechtenstein police reporting the commission of 7 hate crimes in 2021, two of them being prosecuted and one culminating with a sentence. There is no data for 2022. These crimes are ones that fall under the definition of ‘hate crime’ of Section 283 of the Criminal Code of Liechtenstein, but it is not possible to know whether the motivation was against freedom of religion or belief or other unrelated causes.
The Islamic Community of Liechtenstein requested an Islamic cemetery and a prayer space in a petition titled “Equality for Muslims” that was submitted to the parliament in August 2021. In September, after receiving a favourable response, parliament forwarded the petition to the government and awaited a response.
Contrary to the Catholic Church and Protestant churches, the three Muslim associations active in the nation did not receive direct financial support from the government because they are not organized in an “umbrella organization”, as requested by authorities, stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Prospects for freedom of religion
Liechtenstein currently provides solid guarantees of religious freedom – a confessional state where religious freedom is duly guaranteed and enforced – and, maintaining this line, the prospects for freedom of religion remain positive.
Liechtenstein