Religion in Timor-Leste

The 2022 census recorded 1,217,157 Catholics among people aged three and older, or 97.5% of the counted population. Protestant and Evangelical communities accounted for 25,511 people, or 2.0%, and Islam for 3,202 people, or 0.3%. The census also recorded small Buddhist, Hindu, Indigenous, other-religion and no-religion groups. Indigenous religion fell from more than 900 people in 2015 to fewer than 300 in 2022, with older age groups overrepresented. Other religions appeared especially among people aged 25 to 59, possibly reflecting immigration. Dili has the country's largest absolute concentration of religious minorities. The Catholic Church has dioceses in Dili, Baucau and Maliana, coordinated nationally by the Conferência Episcopal Timorense. Catholic practice includes Mass, parish and diocesan services, pastoral care and religious institutions. The 2024 papal visit included a Mass at Tasi Tolu attended by approximately 600,000 people. The Islamic Community Center of Timor-Leste provides an institutional reference for Muslim religious life, including the communication of Muslim holiday dates. Timor-Leste has no state religion. The Constitution recognizes and respects different religious denominations, protects freedom of conscience, religion and worship, prohibits discrimination based on religion and permits communities to organize and operate within the Constitution and law. It also separates religious communities from the state and protects conscientious objection, meaning that a person may decline conduct that conflicts with deeply held convictions within the limits of the law. The Constitution and its preamble acknowledge the Catholic Church's historical contribution to national liberation without making it the state religion. A 2015 agreement with the Holy See establishes the legal position of the Catholic Church and addresses canonical marriage, places of worship, Catholic education and training institutions, religious teaching, charitable work, pastoral care in the armed forces, prisons and hospitals, and fiscal and property matters. The Government and the Conferência Episcopal Timorense also use annual framework agreements. For the 2026 financial year, a US$15 million public grant is designated for education, social services, church governance and grant management. No equivalent confessional state-funding commitment for minority communities is documented. Religious teaching within a denomination is constitutionally permitted. The Ministry of Education lists private schools and foundations connected with the dioceses of Dili, Baucau and Maliana. The Instituto de Ciências Religiosas São Tomás de Aquino is state-authorized to offer Licenciatura and Bacharelato programs that train teachers for Catholic moral and religious education. Timor-Leste has also adopted the 2019 Human Fraternity Document as a national document, and the Government states that it has been included in the education curriculum. A nationwide compulsory religious class with a uniform confessional-neutral curriculum and a general opt-out has not been established in the available evidence. Religious holidays form part of the public holiday calendar. In 2026, the listed dates include Idul Fitri on 20 March, Good Friday on 3 April, Idul Adha on 27 May, Corpus Christi on 4 June, All Saints' Day on 1 November, All Souls' Day on 2 November, the Immaculate Conception and Patroness of Timor-Leste on 8 December, and Christmas Day on 25 December. The Government sets variable holiday dates annually, generally in January. A public holiday is a day off without loss of employment-related entitlements. Work on a public holiday normally requires compensation, with exceptions for shift work and essential services. The Government's religion policy emphasizes cooperation among religious communities, peaceful practice, human rights, civic education, poverty reduction, peace and tolerance. Timor-Leste participated in the 2024 International Conference of Religious Leaders and signed a cooperation protocol with the Ismaili Imamat on 17 October 2024 covering interfaith dialogue, human dignity, peace, education, health, culture and civil society. No national interfaith council with a clearly established permanent institutional structure is documented. Religion also affects recognized life events. Law 10/2011 recognizes civil marriage, Catholic marriage and casamento barlaqueado monogâmico, a monogamous marriage recognized under Timor-Leste law that combines religious and customary elements. Marriage registration is compulsory. For a Catholic marriage, the parish priest sends a duplicate of the parish record to the civil registry for transcription, and the marriage's legal effects depend on registration. A non-Catholic religious marriage may take place before a ministro do culto, meaning a minister of a recognized religious community, and may then be registered or transcribed at the civil registry under Directive 9/2017. A preliminary process at a conservatória may be required, either before the ceremony or afterward, and the application must show that the marriage does not conflict with fundamental principles of international public order. The Ministry of Justice, the Direção-Geral dos Serviços de Registos e Notariado and local conservatórias handle civil registration matters. The official fee table lists US$15 for a civil marriage process and registration, US$20 for service outside the office, outside normal hours, on a weekend or on a public holiday, and US$10 for transcription of a foreign marriage. The current application of individual fee rates should be verified before payment. Reports have described occasional rejection of marriage or birth documents from non-Roman Catholic organizations by individual officials, concerns among Muslims about civil-service hiring and social pressure to remain in the Catholic Church. These are reported time-specific concerns, not general legal rules.