The Government does not take any steps to promote interfaith understanding. The public schools allow minority religion students to miss school for religious holidays without penalty. In 1998 the city government of Montevideo allowed its exhibition hall to be used for an exhibit on the Bible. Many Christian groups perform missionary work in the country without hindrance from the State. The Mormons, for example, have approximately 400 missionaries in the country at any one time.
Missionaries face no special requirements or restrictions.
There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by this report. There were no reports of religious detainees or prisoners. There were no reports of the forced religious conversion of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or of the Government's refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States. Societal Attitudes Relations among the various religious communities are amicable. The Christian-Jewish Council meets regularly to promote interfaith understanding.