SW News: The government of Thailand has recognized three Catholic churches after a 93-year wait. This move is aimed at fostering religious harmony in the Buddhist-majority nation, says a news report.

The Thai Post said the ministry of culture approved nine religious places of worship, which included three Catholic churches and six Buddhist temples. Minister of Culture Itthiphol Khunpluem said, “This certification of the Catholic Church is considered a way to promote and foster religions in Thailand, to appropriate them in line with the current situation.”

The Cultural Ministry gave approval to Saint Thomas the Apostle Church in Bangkok, Saint Monica Church in Nan Province, and Saint Joseph the Worker Church in Phrae Province. Thailand recognized only 57 Catholic churches until 1929. However, the count has risen to 60.

In 2021, the Thai Cabinet approved a law to enable the approval of religious places of worship. As per the new law, a new parish can be established if it has a permanent resident priest and 200 parishioners. However, a diocese can request that the criteria of resident priest and the minimum number of faithful be waived under exceptional circumstances.

The law states that the list of parishes thus established shall be released annually by the Religions Department and have up to two years for approval. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand welcomed the decree in 2021, stating that the recognition addresses the need of “the current situation and provides greater certainty and guarantees for the future” for the Catholic Church in the country.

Catholicism was introduced in the Asian country in the 16th century by Portuguese Dominicans who came from Goa in India. As of 2019, the country has some 3, 88,000 Catholics. Believers are spread across two archdioceses, nine dioceses, and 502 parishes.