This article addresses three main subjects. First it presents a theoretical discussion of the concepts of secularism and secularization from the focus sociology of religion. Second, the particular role played by the Catholic hierarchy in the configuration of the state in Latin America. Finally, it presents a general balance on the historical relationship between the state and the catholic hierarchy in Costa Rica. It concludes that in Costa Rica, the catholic hierarchy rather than as a pressure group should be understood as an actor of power and significant influence on the development of culture and the state. Thus the confessional state rather than a historical relic must be understood as a process in constant renovation.

secularism; secularization; confessional state; Costa Rica; neoliberalism