Saeculo Exeunte Octavo §4

⁴ And indeed the Catholic faith, which nourished the nation of Portugal from its very origin, was the principal force which raised your fatherland to the peak of its glory, extending the boundaries of both religion and empire The Church adorned Portugal with all the embellishments of culture and rendered it worthy of its sacred endeavors in missions. Of this, history itself speaks and to this events testify most splendidly.