Summary

The Brazilian Federal Supreme Court has recently set an important precedent in terms of religious freedom, deciding to halt a criminal lawsuit filed against a priest of the Catholic Church who published a book containing several discriminatory remarks against the spiritist doctrine as well as against religions of African origin. The arguments set forth by the reporting judge, defining the lines that separate the proselytism of religions with universalist claims from racism forbidden by criminal law, will certainly serve as a precedent for future cases involving conflicts between different religious practices in the country. This article aims to present the case to the Latin American academic community and to analyze the theoretical lines followed by the decision.