The United States State Department hailed Macao's religious freedom and tolerance in its latest global report, local media reported Monday.

The Macao Post Daily quoted the U.S. 2006 Report on Religious Freedom as saying that relations among Macao's various religious communities were "very good."

The report stressed that the government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) "generally respected" the freedom of religion, as the discrimination on the basis of religious practice is prohibited by law in Macao, according to the newspaper.

Missionaries in Macao "were free to conduct missionary activities," according to the annual report.

Buddhism and Taoism are Macao's main religious beliefs and around six percent of the population is Roman Catholic.

Source: Xinhua