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The predominant religion in the Republic of Ireland is Christianity, with the largest church being the Roman Catholic Church. The Irish constitution says that the state may not endorse any particular religion and guarantees freedom of religion. In 2011, 84.2% of the population identified themselves as Roman Catholic, 2.6 percentage points less than 5 years earlier, although the number of Catholics increased by 179,889. The second largest Christian denomination, the Church of Ireland (Anglican), declined in membership for most of the twentieth century, but has more recently experienced an increase, as have other small Christian denominations. Other significant Protestant denominations are the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, followed by the Methodist Church in Ireland. The country's Hindu and Muslim populations have experienced significant growth in recent years, due chiefly to immigration. In the 2011 census, 7.6% of the population had no religion or did not indicate a religious belief. Researchers debate the relative significance of secularisation as a general feature of Irish society,〔Kuhling, Carmen, "New Age re-enchantment in post-Celtic Tiger Ireland". 201 - 219 in Olivia Cosgrove et al. (eds), ''Ireland's new religious movements''. Cambridge Scholars, 2011; ISBN 978-1-4438-2588-7〕 the interpretation of census results 〔Macourt, Malcolm, "Mapping the 'new religious landscape' and the 'new Irish': uses and limitations of the census". 28 - 50 in Olivia Cosgrove et al. (eds), ''Ireland's new religious movements''. Cambridge Scholars, 2011; ISBN 978-1-4438-2588-7〕 and the extent to which religious syncretism is becoming more widespread.〔Cosgrove, Olivia et al., "Editors' introduction". 1 - 27 in Olivia Cosgrove et al. (eds), ''Ireland's new religious movements''. Cambridge Scholars, 2011; ISBN 978-1-4438-2588-7〕 ==Politics== Originally, the 1937 Constitution of Ireland gave the Catholic Church a "special position" as the church of the majority, but also recognised other Christian denominations and Judaism. As with other predominantly Catholic European states, the Irish state underwent a period of legal secularisation in the late twentieth century. In 1972, the article of the Constitution naming specific religious groups, including the Catholic Church, was deleted by the fifth amendment of the constitution in a referendum. Article 44 remains in the Constitution. It begins: :''The State acknowledges that the homage of public worship is due to Almighty God. It shall hold His Name in reverence, and shall respect and honour religion.'' The article also establishes freedom of religion (for belief, practice, and organisation without undue interference from the state), prohibits endowment of any particular religion, prohibits the state from religious discrimination, and requires the state to treat religious and non-religious schools in a non-prejudicial manner. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Religion in the Republic of Ireland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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