1. Argentina

2. Brazil

3. Colombia

4. Ecuador

5. Paraguay

6. References

The status of religious freedom in South America varies from country to country. States can differ based on whether or not they guarantee equal treatment under law for followers of different religions, whether they establish a state religion (and the legal implications that this has for both practitioners and non-practitioners), the extent to which religious organizations operating within the country are policed, and the extent to which religious law is used as a basis for the country's legal code.

There are further discrepancies between some countries' self-proclaimed stances of religious freedom in law and the actual practice of authority bodies within those countries: a country's establishment of religious equality in their constitution or laws does not necessarily translate into freedom of practice for residents of the country. Additionally, similar practices (such as having religious organizations register with the government) can have different consequences depending on other sociopolitical circumstances specific to the countries in question.

Argentina

Article 14 of the Constitution of Argentina guarantees all the inhabitants of the Nation the right "to profess freely their religion."^[1] The Constitution further requires the government to support Roman Catholicism economically, and the government pays salaries for Roman Catholic bishops.^[2] Despite this, the Supreme Court has ruled that the Roman Catholic Church was not granted the status of official religion by the constitution or any federal legislation.^[3]

A 2011 poll conducted by the Gino Germani Research Institute of the University of Buenos Aires on behalf of the Anti-Defamation League and Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas showed that a majority of Argentines held antisemitic sentiments or prejudices.^[4] There have been a number of antisemitic incidents recorded in Argentina since 2010, largely in the form of verbal abuse and vandalism.^[5]

Brazil

Religious freedom has been part of Brazilian law since January 7, 1890, codified by a decree signed by President Deodoro da Fonseca in the then-newly established Republic. It has been a Constitutional right since the 1946 Constitution was enacted, up to and including the current 1988 Constitution of Brazil.

January 7 is the National Day of Religious Freedom in Brazil.

Colombia

The Colombian Constitution of 1991 guarantees freedom of religion and maintains that all religious faiths are equally free before the law.^[6] The government of Colombia does not collect religious statistics in its censuses.^[7]

Ecuador

Freedom of religion in Ecuador is guaranteed by the country's constitution, and the government generally respects this right in practice.^[8] Religious groups are allowed to engage in missionary activities, and private schools are allowed to provide religious instruction, although the government generally does not allow religious instruction in public schools.^[8]

Paraguay

Freedom of religion in Paraguay is provided in the Constitution of Paraguay. The law at all levels protects this right in full against abuse, either by governmental or private actors, and the constitution provides for conscientious objection to military service.The constitution recognizes the historical role of the Catholic Church (the dominant religion). Although the government is secular in name and practice, most government officials are Catholic, and Catholic clergy occasionally speak during official government events.^[9]

The government permits, but does not require religious instruction in public schools. Parents are permitted to homeschool or send their children to the school of their choice without sanction or restriction.^[9]

Anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi messages and symbols, including graffiti, appear sporadically. The government investigated but did not identify suspects. In July 2007 the newspaper ABC Colorpublished an anti-Semitic article.^[9]

References

• The Passengers (band)
• The Passenger (song)
• The Passengers (rock band from Belgium)
• The Passerby (1982 film)
• The Passing of Hell's Crown
• The Passing of the Great Race
• The Passing of the Hat
• The Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaws
• The Passing Show of 1916
• The Passing Show of 1918
• The Passing Zone
• The passion
• The Passion According to G.H.
• The Passionate Friends (1949 film)
• The Passionate Heart
• The Passionate Pilgrim (film)
• The Passionate Shepherd to his Love
• The Passionate Shepherd To His Love
• The Passion of Ayn Rand (film)
• The Passion of Darkly Noon
• The Passion of Dauterive
• The passion of joan of arc
• The Passion of Lovers
• The Passion of Reverend Ruckus
• The Passion of Saint Tibulus