Gioacchino Granito di Belmonte (1849-1934) in 1897 contributed an open letter to the Giornale degli economisti, at the time a point of reference for Italian free-market economists. Belmonte challenged his friends to give proper consideration to the need to guarantee full religious freedom, including freedom to establish Catholic schools and theology departments, as consistent with commitment to limited government. The letter provoked a lively debate among the Journal’s contributors, including Gaetano Mosca (1858-1941) and Enrico Barone (1859-1924). This paper examines the debate and succinctly compares the views expressed by the different contributors with Vilfredo Pareto’s (1848-1923).