Brasilia, Brazil, Oct 8, 2009 / 17:12 pm
The Brazilian Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations and National Defense has approved the accords that recognize, among other things, the juridical status of the Catholic Church in Brazil as well as her work in the country. According to the Senado news agency, the agreement between Brazil and the Holy See will now be sent to the entire Senate for debate.
The project's secretary general, Fernando Collor, stressed that the accord does not establish any relation of dependence between the two parties. Already passed by Brazil’s House of Representatives, the accord consists of twenty articles and refers to the processes and the work of the Church in that country, religious education in schools and tax exemptions, granting them the corresponding legal security.
The accord also addresses freedom of worship, the use of public areas for religious purposes, the protection of the seal of confession and other issues covered by Brazil’s Constitution.