Religion and morality policies in Portugal: From arguments to intervention strategies

Abstract

Morality policies tend to be associated with religious values, despite not being defined by religious actors. However, in contexts characterized by high religious vitality in terms of belonging, beliefs or behavior, the relationship between politics and religion tends not to be exempt from cooperation and negotiation. This article analyzes the arguments and strategies of intervention displayed by the Portuguese Episcopal Conference in relation to four policies of morality: voluntary interruption of pregnancy, medical assisting in dying, same sex marriage and same sex adoption. Empirically, the article presents a systematic analysis of documents of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference during the last two decades.