Catholic Church in the Dominican Republic

The Catholic Church in the Dominican Republic is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.

People in the Cathedral of Santa María la Menor, first cathedral of the New World.

The Catholic Church is the world's largest Christian Church, and its largest religious grouping. There are an estimated 5 million Catholics in the Dominican Republic (48% of the population). In 2020, just over 50% of Dominicans identified as Catholic, served by 1140 priests across 709 parishes.

Hierarchy

Within the Dominican Republic the hierarchy consists of:

• Archbishopric
  • Bishopric

• Archdiocese of Santiago de los Caballeros
  • Diocese of La Vega
  • Diocese of Mao-Monte Cristi
  • Diocese of Puerto Plata
  • Diocese of San Francisco de Macorís
• Archdiocese of Santo Domingo
  • Diocese of Baní
  • Diocese of Barahona
  • Diocese of Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia in Higüey
  • Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana
  • Diocese of San Pedro de Macorís
• Military Ordinariate of the Dominican Republic

Church in society

The Dominican Republic offers religious freedom, and Catholicism is the official religion of the state; this was signed into law by the 1954 concordat with the Vatican. Under Rafael Trujillo's government, the power of the Catholic Church was limited.

Gallery

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See also

• Religion in the Dominican Republic
• Protestantism in the Dominican Republic
• Religion in Latin America
• List of Central American and Caribbean Saints

References and notes

• International Religious Freedom Report 2022 Dominican Republic, U.S. Department of State, 2022 report