Religion and Law in Portugal

Jorge Bacelar Gouveia (www.jorgebacelargouveia.com) studied Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon, Portugal, where he graduated in 1989, subsequently obtaining a Master's in Public Law in 1993. He was a lecturer at the same university from 1989 to 1997. He joined the Faculty of Law of the Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (New University of Lisbon) when it was founded and, in 1999, completed his doctorate (Phd) in Public Law in the same institution, with a thesis in the field of Constitutional Law and became a Professor of Law shortly thereafter. At the moment, he is a Full (tenure) Professor of Law at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa and at Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa. Since then, he has lectured in various subfields of Public Law such as Constitutional Law, Public International Law, Administrative Law, Tax Law and Financial Law. He has published extensively (more than 150 titles) both in Portugal and abroad. His main publications, with several editions, are the Handbook of Public International Law (Manual de Direito Internacional Público) and the Handbook of Constitutional Law (Manual de Direito Constitucional). He has collaborated with several universities in Portuguese-speaking countries, namely in Brazil, Angola and Mozambique, coordinating various research projects and law specialization programmes, as well as lecturing in legal seminars and Phd programmes. Professor Bacelar Gouveia is also Chairman of the Portuguese Institute of Public Law, an association of experts in Public Law which aims to promote and develop Public Law research in Portugal. He is the editor of Revista de Direito Público, the only Portuguese journal which focuses on Public Law and related fields. He is a former member of the Parliament and of the Commission for Religious Freedom of Portugal.