The Relations Between the Catholic Church and the Political Arena in Portugal

The relation between the Catholic church and the political arena in Portugal is shaped by the absence of a religious cleavage and by a strong interdependence between the church and the
state. This makes Portugal unique among the Southern European Catholic monopolies, and resultsin a culture of compromise between the two spheres. This chapter describesthe evolution
of the Catholic church as a political actor. Starting with the democratic transition, it goes on to examine the processes of transition to religious freedom, the liberalization of abortion, and the re-organization of state support to private (including Catholic) schools. The chapter concludes that the ecclesiastic hierarchy has maintained its reserve of direct interventions in the political
arena, while negotiating with state interlocutors. This has resulted in a decline of its relevance as a political actor, despite the fact that religiosity remains high.