Catalonia: New law regulates building of houses of worship

Catalonia: New law regulates building of houses of worship


The Catalan Parliament has passed the law governing places of worship with a triple objective: to facilitate the exercising of the right to freedom of worship, to provide support to city councils when guaranteeing this right and to ensure adequate conditions with regards safety and hygiene in places of worship.


In order to achieve this, the law determines, among other aspects, two measures: the obligation of city councils to set aside spaces for religious use and also a municipal license for the opening and use of places of worship.


With this law, which will affect all religious faiths, the Government aims to end the current legal vacuum which has existed to date and which has caused variations in the application of regulations when conceding licenses.


This law is applied to public places of worship with religious ends and also to facilities and public spaces used for religious ends which are not normally used for this purpose. The law will not apply, however, to places of worship located in hospitals, health care or educational centers, cemeteries, funeral homes, prisons and areas located in public or private spaces destined to other activities. Also excluded are places of worship that form part of the Inventory of Catalan Cultural Heritage.

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Mohamed Halhoul, spokesperson for the Islamic Cultural Council of Catalonia, welcomed the new law which he said will help all communities open places of worship.

He told Europa Press that the Muslim community had faced difficulties trying to open mosques, meeting with resistance from neighbors and indifference form the municipalities.

Halhoul said the new policy is useful and necessary to ensure religious freedom and the fundamental right to worship. He stressed the law requires municipalities to provide public land for religious facilities, also to minorities.

The spokesperson pointed out the consensus reached between the religious community and the political parties to achieve social cohesion in Catalonia.

Sources: ADN (Spanish), GenCat (English), h/t Islam España