Two of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Dominican Republic were married in a landmark ceremony on August 28, 2013. As far back as 1954, weddings performed by any entity other than the Catholic church or the civil registry were not legally recognized in the country because of an agreement between the Dominican Republic and the Vatican. As a result, Jehovah’s Witnesses needed to register their marriages with the state in addition to any religious wedding ceremony they performed. However, a new constitution confers legal recognition on the wedding ceremonies of other religious groups, including Jehovah’s Witnesses. The August 28 wedding marked the first of such non-Catholic weddings in the country.

Media Contact(s):

International: J. R. Brown, Office of Public Information, tel. +1 718 560 5000

Dominican Republic: Josué Feliz, tel. +1 809 595 4007