ABSTRACT
Religious diversity has re-emerged in the Spanish public sphere with claims of recognition and accommodation. While the freedom of religion and belief is constitutionally guaranteed, public cooperation agreements with minority religions and their compliance are limited. To foster the accommodation of the religious minorities, the Observatory of Religious Pluralism was set up, under the auspices of the central Government as an instrument to help to manage the religious diversity in Spain. On the one hand, the Observatory provides guidelines for public institutions in their management of religious diversity, and on the other, it offers information to religious minorities, research groups, and interested individuals. Thus, it is a tool for broadening and facilitating accommodative measures and policies through dissemination, research, and exchange of information. Although its real impact on the situation of religious minorities in Spain cannot easily be measured, the evaluation of this tool shows that it can play a positive role.
