Unitary Convergences in Portugal Democrático (1956-1974)

In São Paulo, a group of Portuguese exiles created Portugal Democrático, published between 1956 and 1977. The newspaper, as a place of resistance to the dictatorship of Salazar and Caetano, constituted itself as a political movement, as a project of convergence and materialization of a “unitary strategy” to act against the Portuguese Estado Novo. We will analyze the centrality given by that newspaper to the initiatives of avant-garde Catholicism, interpreting the reasons for the significant political space attributed to issues related to Catholics and the Catholic Church in that newspaper, opposed to the established power in Portugal before the revolution of April 25, 1974. Through a qualitative analysis of the contents of Portugal Democrático, it will become clear how that newspaper, considering its political project, stands out in contemporary history as one of the most notable cases of the construction of a “unitary” platform.

Keywords:
Catholic Church; Catholics; New State; Portugal Democrático; Resistance Press; Political Exile