HONDURAS

HONDURAS. —

I. Geography

A region of the isthmus of America, between Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, comprising one larger independent state and a small British colony.

The territory of the Republic of H. (115,570 sq. km.) consists of a predominantly mountainous region, which presents its largest façade on the Atlantic (640 km.), while on the Pacific the coast is reduced to the inner part of the deep Gulf of Fonseca (66 km.). The climate, typically equatorial along the coastal lowlands, is tempered by altitude, though it remains very humid and rainy.

The population (1.3 million inhabitants; 11 per sq. km.) is predominantly mestizo (69%); next in number are the Amerindians (20%), Blacks and Zambos (5%). Whites number just over 350,000.

The country’s greatest resource is agriculture, particularly bananas, coconuts, and coffee; maize, potatoes, tobacco, and fruit are also produced. Livestock raising is fairly widespread (especially cattle and sheep); the forest heritage is substantial, yielding fine timber. Mineral resources are not lacking (iron, copper, lead, zinc, antimony, and tin), but only gold and silver give rise to any real mining activity. Trade is dominated by the U.S.A., which absorbs about three-quarters of the exchanges, hindered by the lack of adequate communication routes.

The capital, Tegucigalpa, inland, is the only inhabited center with more than 50,000 inhabitants.

H. is a unitary republic (17 departments and 1 territory) with an elective government and a unicameral legislature; the president serves a six-year term.

The colonial territory (British since 1638) consists of the coastal strip of southeastern Yucatán between Chetumal Bay and the Gulf of H. (21,268 sq. km.). It is a still little-known region, covered by dense forests, from which valuable woods (mahogany, cedar, pitch pine) are extracted, and only partly cultivated (bananas, coconuts, chicle).

The population (61,500 inhabitants, barely 3 per sq. km.) is almost entirely Amerindian and Black; whites number about one thousand. The capital is Belize (18,000 inhabitants), the only notable urban center.

II. Evangelization

In the present-day Republic of H., shortly after the conquest carried out by Cortés in 1526, the Franciscans were the first missionaries. The aboriginal Indian tribes were largely subdued peacefully; even today they form the majority of the population.

In 1531 the diocese of Trujillo de H. was established, transferred in 1568 to Comayagua as a suffragan of Guatemala. In the impassable forests, unconquered Indian tribes remained, which in the 17th and 18th centuries were attended to by the Franciscans. To this day, thousands of Indians remain unconverted. Under the Republic (since 1812), ecclesiastical property was confiscated and the separation of Church and State proclaimed. In 1916 the ecclesiastical hierarchy was reorganized. The diocese of Comayagua was replaced by the archdiocese of Tegucigalpa, with the suffragans of Santa Rosa de Copán and the apostolic vicariate of San Pedro Sula. The Lazarists work for the conversion of the still pagan Indians of the apostolic vicariate of San Pedro Sula; the Redemptorists attend to those in the archdiocese of Tegucigalpa.

In British H. (v. BELGIO), among the Blacks, mulattos, and some Indian tribes, the Jesuits have been at work since 1853. In 1888 the apostolic prefecture of H. was established, raised to an apostolic vicariate in 1893, and received its current name of Belize in 1925.

Giovanni Rommerskirchen

III. LEGAL STATUS OF THE CHURCH

In the Republic of H. the system of separation of Church and State prevails, as explicitly proclaimed in Article 57 of the Constitution, and the free exercise of all religions is guaranteed. This regime is, in effect, the juridical expression of the secular and anticlerical mentality that characterized the revolutionary movements which, in the last century, led to the independence of the Central American republics.

With regard to marriage, the law of the Republic recognizes only civil marriage; religious marriage may be celebrated only upon presentation of a certificate of the civil rite, under penalty of imprisonment or a fine of up to 250 dollars if the offense is committed by a national priest, or expulsion from the country if committed by a foreigner. Divorce is legally permitted and practiced for very trivial reasons.

Since the last century, religious instruction has been banned from state schools. Years ago, a bill was presented to Parliament to remedy this deficiency; signatures were collected and the press took up the matter, but the bill was rejected. A law of March 14, 1947, requires educational institutions to select 80% of their teaching staff from among nationals. This has aggravated the problem of Christian education for youth, already difficult due to the limited number of private Catholic schools run by religious orders or institutes, and the fact that these do not have many indigenous members among their ranks.

Another provision of the constitutional charter that causes no small difficulty for the Church is that contained in Article 18, according to which foreigners may not hold public offices or positions, including those of the recognized cults, under penalty of expulsion. This rule, given the scarcity of Honduran clergy, makes the appointment of bishops in H. particularly difficult, although legislation no longer retains any claims of patronage.

The Constitution also prohibits the establishment in the territory of the Republic of any kind of monastic associations; the law regulates the entry into the country of persons belonging to such associations (Art. 61). However, these provisions are not applied with full rigor.

Likewise, government officials in recent years have shown deferential benevolence toward the Church.

H. maintains diplomatic relations with the Holy See. Until 1938 the apostolic nunciature of H. was united with those of Guatemala and El Salvador. In that year it was separated and entrusted to a newly appointed titular. In 1948 it was united with the apostolic nunciature of Nicaragua, and both were entrusted to a single titular.

IV. EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Article 24 of the Constitution of the Republic of H. states: “The State has the primary duty to promote and protect public education in its various branches. Primary education is compulsory, secular, and free; secondary and higher education are likewise secular. No minister of a religious society may direct state-supported schools.”

Primary instruction is given in the 987 primary schools dependent on the municipalities and is subsidised by the State. Secondary instruction is provided in 23 colleges. Primary school teachers are trained in the 4 normal schools, in the model normal school of Comayagüela, and in the “Central Institute” of Tegucigalpa. Higher education is provided by the “Universidad Nacional” in Tegucigalpa, founded in 1847, and by the “Escuela Nacional de Agricultura,” founded in 1923. Given the high percentage of illiterates, the government has exceptionally permitted the establishment of 5 Catholic missionary elementary schools among the Indians, among whom the number of illiterates reaches 80%.

The education of the Catholic clergy is handled by the metropolitan seminary of S. Vicente in Tegucigalpa.