In Belgium Roman Catholicism is the majority religion, accounting for between 75% and 80% of the population, although nowadays only about 10% to 20% of the population regularly goes to church. Other religions widely practised in Belgium are Islam, Protestantism, Anglicanism and Judaism.

Religion was one of the differences between the Roman Catholic south and the Protestant north of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, which eventually broke up in 1830 when the south seceded to form Belgium. This accounts for the preponderance of Catholics there nowadays.

Since 1830, Catholicism has had also an important role in Belgium’s politics. One example is the two so-called “school wars” (”Schoolstrijd” in Dutch, “guerres scolaires” in French) between liberals and Catholics which took place between 1879 and 1884 and between 1954 and 1958 respectively.

Between World War I and World War II the centre of occult and mystical activity in Western Europe was shifted from France to Belgium. Belgium became the main centre for many esoteric brotherhoods and secret societies of which many branches still exist today.