LEGAL FRAMEWORK

The constitution states that all persons shall have the freedom to choose their faith, and the state shall be responsible for ‘‘protecting the religious … interests of the people.” The constitution specifies Roman Catholicism as the state religion, which “shall enjoy full protection from the state.” The constitution stipulates other religious denominations may practice their beliefs and hold religious services “within the bounds of morality and public order.”

By law the state provides 300,000 Swiss francs (CHF) ($358,000) annually to the Catholic Church, and municipalities provide the Church with additional funds, which vary by municipality and include support for maintenance of buildings and grounds owned by the Church. Priests are employees of the municipalities. Financial support from the state and municipalities to other religious groups is not mandated by law but is provided on a discretionary basis on request.

There is no separate law for registering religious groups, but religious groups other than the Catholic Church may organize themselves as associations, which the commercial registry administers and gives associations the rights of legal entities, such as owning property and entering into contracts. Religious groups other than the Catholic Church must register as associations to receive government funding for activities such as providing religious education in schools or offering language courses for foreigners. To register in the commercial registry as an association, a religious group must follow the same procedures as a nonreligious group: it must submit an official letter of application to the Office for Justice within the Ministry of Infrastructure and Justice that includes the organization’s name, purpose, board members, and head office location, as well as a memorandum of association based on local law, a trademark certification, and a copy of the organization’s statutes. All religious groups registered in the commercial registry are exempt from certain taxes.

The law prohibits the slaughter of animals without anesthetization, making kosher and halal slaughter illegal. Importation of kosher and halal products, including meat, is legal.

The criminal code prohibits any form of public incitement to hatred or discrimination against, or disparagement of, any religion or its adherents by spoken, written, visual, or electronic means. The criminal code also prohibits the denial, trivialization, and justification of genocide and other crimes against humanity by spoken, written, visual, or electronic means. Penalties may include a prison sentence of up to two years. The criminal code prohibits refusing service to a person or group of persons based on religious affiliation as well as membership in any association that aims to promote discrimination against a person or persons based on religious affiliation.

The law requires the inclusion of religious education in the primary and secondary public school curriculum. Students choose among Catholic or Protestant Reformed classes or a secular class called “Ethics and Religions.” Should parents wish for their children to attend the nondenominational class on ethics instead, they may do so with an application to school leadership. The law also grants the Office of Education, which is part of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Education, and Sports, the right to organize and finance Islamic education as an elective in public primary schools. Catholic, Protestant Reformed, and Muslim groups provide the teachers for religious instruction, and the Office of Education pays some or all of their salaries. The Catholic Church determines the Catholic curriculum, with supervision from the Office of Education. Other religious groups registered as associations may provide teachers for optional religious classes if there is a demand for them and may apply for partial funding of the teachers’ salaries from the government’s integration budget, a fund dedicated to supporting projects that enable immigrants to integrate into society.

To receive residency permits, foreign religious workers must have completed theological studies, command a basic level of German, belong to a “nationally known” religious group (the law does not define “nationally known”), and be sponsored by a resident clergy member of the same religious group.

The country is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

GOVERNMENT PRACTICES

In May, following two years of inaction on a proposed constitutional amendment to grant complete equality of religions and to formally separate religion and state, the government proposed a new law aimed at achieving broad equality of religious communities through state recognition. The Religious Communities Act has the stated aim of establishing equal legal treatment among religious communities by creating a process for state recognition based on newly established criteria. To be recognized, religious communities must have worked in Liechtenstein for more than 20 years, have a membership of at least 200 individuals, have a stable organizational structure with authorized bodies and written statutes, and respect the state legal order. The law would also establish a state contribution amount of 20,000 CHF ($24,000) for any state-recognized religious community plus an additional 1,000 CHF ($1,200) for every 100 members per the census and allow equal access to state-recorded personal data. Additionally, responsibility for religious and nondenominational education would shift from the religious authorities to school authorities. Parliament passed a similar law in 2012 but it never entered into force due to failed negotiations between the state and the Catholic Archdiocese of Vaduz. The press reported speculation that following the September retirement of Catholic Archbishop of Vaduz Wolfgang Haas, who had expressed vocal opposition to proposed reforms regarding the separation of church and state, that the church might change its stance.

While the LHRA praised the bill in general, it criticized the measure for not advancing the separation of religion and state, establishing excessively strict state recognition requirements, and requiring taxpayers who do not belong to a religious group to subsidize those that do. At year’s end, the proposed law completed a consultation period and was referred to the parliament.

During the year, there was one conviction for subversive associations and the offense of discrimination, including the distribution of antisemitic ideology online, with a sentence from the court of 21 months in prison, subject to a three-year probationary period and a 12,000 CHF ($14,000) fine. The individual was a noted Holocaust denier who was heavily involved in the right-wing European Action group and once served as its Liechtenstein country director.

The establishment of an Islamic cemetery remained unresolved. In 2021, the IGFL filed an “Equality for Muslims” petition that called for the establishment of a dedicated Islamic cemetery and an additional prayer room, which was favorably received by parliament and referred to the Council of Ministers, the country’s highest political body. In 2022, with support from the state and municipalities, the Islamic Community identified suitable premises for a cemetery in Eschen that met religious requirements. All religious groups, including Muslims, were able to bury their dead in the country’s five cemeteries, which the municipalities owned. Municipal cemeteries, however, did not meet the Muslim requirements of having a room for ritual washings or graves directed towards Mecca.

Funding for religious institutions continued to derive mainly from the municipalities. Municipalities continued to provide the Catholic and Protestant Reformed Churches annual subsidies in proportion to their population in the municipalities. The MFA stated that municipalities allocated funding for specific purposes, such as paying the rent for places of worship, and the MFA remained in regular contact with religious representatives regarding funding. The Liechtenstein Institute stated that, while taxes helped to finance the Catholic Church, Protestant Reformed Church, Protestant-Lutheran Church, Christian Orthodox Religious community, and Muslim associations, other religious groups did not receive funding from the state or municipalities. State funding for non-Catholic religious groups was significantly less than for the Catholic Church because contributions to other religious communities were not mandated by law but rather decided upon request. The MFA said that, except for the Catholic Church, religious communities were defined as private associations and could apply for state funding.

The government immigration and passport office continued to issue five-year residency permits to religious workers instead of visas. Religious workers from Schengen-area member countries did not require permits or visas.