VÍTOR NETO
Minorities and the limits of tolerance in Portugal (XIX - XX centuries).

In Portugal, during the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries, the Catholic Church's exclusivism left little room for minorities. Up until the 1st Republic the religious state restrained the proselytizing activities of reformed denominations. After October the 5th 1910, religious freedom facilitated the development of minority churches. During Salazar's regime, however, the cause of religious difference was disrespected by the intolerance of conservative clergy, anti-protestant bishops, and the surveillance of the political power. Contrary to the opinion of some scholars, the last two centuries' historical reality shows that, actually, there were limits to the tolerance towards religious minorities, thus stopping true religious freedom from becoming a reality.