Secular state and freedom of religion in Brazil: The Brazil-Holy See Concordat and the “General Law of Religions”

Authors

  • Jose Ivo Follmann Program in Social Sciences at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos-UNISINOS, São Leopoldo-RS. (Professor)
  • Celso Gabatz Program in Social Sciences at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos-UNISINOS, São Leopoldo-RS. (Doctoral student)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4013/csu.2017.53.2.06

Abstract

This article aims to explore some issues about laicity and religious freedom, the concordat signed between the Brazilian State and the Vatican, and the controversies arising from the proposal of the General Law of Religions. At the same time, it affirms the existence of multiple and divergent senses of laicity, allows observation of different agents in the search for marking, setting, updating, correcting and regulating its application by the State. Catholic and Evangelical activism has generated a lot of contradictory effects. There is a resurgence of religious disputes with consequences in the public sphere, especially in the political arena.

Keywords: Concordat, General Law of Religions, Religious Freedom, laicité.

Author Biographies

Jose Ivo Follmann, Program in Social Sciences at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos-UNISINOS, São Leopoldo-RS. (Professor)

Doctor in Sociology at Université Catholique de Louvain-UCL, Belgium. Master’s degree in Social Sciences at the Catholic University of São Paulo-PUC, São Paulo-SP. Bachelor of Social Scienceat the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul-UFRGS, Porto Alegre-RS. Professor in the Graduate Program in Social Sciences at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos-UNISINOS, São Leopoldo-RS. E-mail:jifmann@unisinos.br

Celso Gabatz, Program in Social Sciences at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos-UNISINOS, São Leopoldo-RS. (Doctoral student)

Doctoral student in the Graduate Program in Social Sciences, Area of Political Concentration and Social Practices at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos-UNISINOS, São Leopoldo-RS. Master’s degree in History from the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences – Graduate Program in History at the University of Passo Fundo-UPF-RS. Graduated in Sociology at the University of the Northwest Region of Rio Grande do Sul State-UNIJUI, Ijuí-RS. Graduated in Theology at Faculdades EST, São Leopoldo-RS. E-mail: gabatz@uol.com.br

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Published

2017-10-27

Issue

Vol. 53 No. 2 (2017): May/August

Section

Seção Temática: Religiões, normatividade e fluxos

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