Changes in the Relations between the State and Religion during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Slovakia

Slovakia is a country with a Catholic majority but with a variety of other minorities – mainly Christian churches. In Slovakia, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred from March 2020 to April 2022 in four waves. Throughout all waves of the pandemic, there was no specific legislation in force or action taken regarding religious groups, and all restrictions on religious life were part of general restrictions. The differential treatment of religious and other actors was more evident in the case of various exemptions from measures, when in the early periods state-recognised religious groups were not afforded such exemptions, or they did not receive them to the same extent as some others, whereas in the second and later waves, by contrast, registered religious groups were afforded most exemptions from generally applicable measures, or strict anti-pandemic measures were relaxed during religious holy days. Non-registered religious groups or people without religious affiliation were not taken into consideration in the adoption of anti-pandemic measures or the exemptions from them. The available data from various studies suggest that the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on religiosity in Slovakia was a mixed one but without significant changes in religious affiliation and church attendance.