It has taken them 2-1/2 years since the Pope visited Brazil to get around to it, but Brazil with its 120 million Catholics - and if the news is right, now the master of the largest oil reserves on earth (offshore Brazil) - has virtually approved a new Concordat with the Vatican that updates a legal restatement of Church and state relations on a well-defined basis. Something the Czech Parliament has refused to do so far, and that the Vatican has been trying to work out with Israel for the past 14 years.
Brazilian Senate approves
Concordat with Vatican
Brasilia, Oct. 9 (dpa) - The Brazilian Senate approved an agreement with the Vatican that sets up a new legal framework for the Brazilian Roman Catholic Church.
The deal approved by the Senate late Wednesday is spelled out over 20 articles and gives the Roman Catholic Church fiscal benefits and state help for the maintenance of cultural assets like buildings, museums and libraries.
It also sets ups a framework for religious education, and makes Roman Catholic marriages legally equivalent to civil marriages.
The deal, which had already been approved by the lower house of the Brazilian Congress, is still pending the approval of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. It is regarded as certain that he will sign the measure into law.
Lula finalized the agreement - which is set to replace a statute that dates back to 1980 - with Pope Benedict XVI in November 2008, in a visit to the Vatican.
According to the new rules, the Brazilian Roman Catholic Church is acknowledged as a legal entity. Critics see the deal as a way to grant the Church privileges over other religious communities, and are considering an appeal to the Supreme Court.
Despite dwindling numbers of faithful, Brazil is regarded as the country with the largest number of Roman Catholics in the world with between 125 million and 155 million adherents.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 10/10/2009 03:35]