Index: flang/include/flang/Evaluate/tools.h
===================================================================
--- flang/include/flang/Evaluate/tools.h
+++ flang/include/flang/Evaluate/tools.h
@@ -1076,6 +1076,11 @@
 std::optional<Expr<SomeType>> DataConstantConversionExtension(
     FoldingContext &, const DynamicType &, const Expr<SomeType> &);
 
+// Convert Hollerith or short character to a another type as if the
+// Hollerith data had been BOZ.
+std::optional<Expr<SomeType>> HollerithToBOZ(
+    FoldingContext &, const Expr<SomeType> &, const DynamicType &);
+
 } // namespace Fortran::evaluate
 
 namespace Fortran::semantics {
Index: flang/lib/Evaluate/tools.cpp
===================================================================
--- flang/lib/Evaluate/tools.cpp
+++ flang/lib/Evaluate/tools.cpp
@@ -1125,6 +1125,25 @@
       IsAllocatableOrPointerObject(expr, context);
 }
 
+std::optional<Expr<SomeType>> HollerithToBOZ(FoldingContext &context,
+    const Expr<SomeType> &expr, const DynamicType &type) {
+  if (std::optional<std::string> chValue{GetScalarConstantValue<Ascii>(expr)}) {
+    // Pad on the right with spaces when short, truncate the right if long.
+    // TODO: big-endian targets
+    auto bytes{static_cast<std::size_t>(
+        ToInt64(type.MeasureSizeInBytes(context, false)).value())};
+    BOZLiteralConstant bits{0};
+    for (std::size_t j{0}; j < bytes; ++j) {
+      char ch{j >= chValue->size() ? ' ' : chValue->at(j)};
+      BOZLiteralConstant chBOZ{static_cast<unsigned char>(ch)};
+      bits = bits.IOR(chBOZ.SHIFTL(8 * j));
+    }
+    return ConvertToType(type, Expr<SomeType>{bits});
+  } else {
+    return std::nullopt;
+  }
+}
+
 } // namespace Fortran::evaluate
 
 namespace Fortran::semantics {
Index: flang/lib/Semantics/check-call.cpp
===================================================================
--- flang/lib/Semantics/check-call.cpp
+++ flang/lib/Semantics/check-call.cpp
@@ -176,6 +176,17 @@
     ConvertIntegerActual(actual, dummy.type, actualType, messages);
   }
   bool typesCompatible{dummy.type.type().IsTkCompatibleWith(actualType.type())};
+  if (!typesCompatible && dummy.type.Rank() == 0) {
+    // Extension: pass Hollerith literal to scalar as if it had been BOZ
+    if (auto converted{
+            evaluate::HollerithToBOZ(context, actual, dummy.type.type())}) {
+      messages.Say(
+          "passing Hollerith or character literal as if it were BOZ"_port_en_US);
+      actual = *converted;
+      actualType.type() = dummy.type.type();
+      typesCompatible = true;
+    }
+  }
   if (typesCompatible) {
     if (isElemental) {
     } else if (dummy.type.attrs().test(
Index: flang/lib/Semantics/data-to-inits.cpp
===================================================================
--- flang/lib/Semantics/data-to-inits.cpp
+++ flang/lib/Semantics/data-to-inits.cpp
@@ -274,24 +274,11 @@
   if (auto converted{evaluate::ConvertToType(type, SomeExpr{expr})}) {
     return {std::make_pair(std::move(*converted), false)};
   }
-  if (std::optional<std::string> chValue{
-          evaluate::GetScalarConstantValue<evaluate::Ascii>(expr)}) {
-    // Allow DATA initialization with Hollerith and kind=1 CHARACTER like
-    // (most) other Fortran compilers do.  Pad on the right with spaces
-    // when short, truncate the right if long.
-    // TODO: big-endian targets
-    auto bytes{static_cast<std::size_t>(evaluate::ToInt64(
-        type.MeasureSizeInBytes(exprAnalyzer_.GetFoldingContext(), false))
-                                            .value())};
-    evaluate::BOZLiteralConstant bits{0};
-    for (std::size_t j{0}; j < bytes; ++j) {
-      char ch{j >= chValue->size() ? ' ' : chValue->at(j)};
-      evaluate::BOZLiteralConstant chBOZ{static_cast<unsigned char>(ch)};
-      bits = bits.IOR(chBOZ.SHIFTL(8 * j));
-    }
-    if (auto converted{evaluate::ConvertToType(type, SomeExpr{bits})}) {
-      return {std::make_pair(std::move(*converted), true)};
-    }
+  // Allow DATA initialization with Hollerith and kind=1 CHARACTER like
+  // (most) other Fortran compilers do.
+  if (auto converted{evaluate::HollerithToBOZ(
+          exprAnalyzer_.GetFoldingContext(), expr, type)}) {
+    return {std::make_pair(std::move(*converted), true)};
   }
   SemanticsContext &context{exprAnalyzer_.context()};
   if (context.IsEnabled(common::LanguageFeature::LogicalIntegerAssignment)) {