THIS summer it was revealed that Brazil would hold congressional hearings on a Vatican concordat it signed last November. According to Scots writer and secularist Muriel Fraser the decision thwarted attempts by the Brazilian Bishops’ Conference to have the agreement rushed to a vote under an emergency procedure for urgent matters of national defence.
But since Fraser reported on what many describe as a “stealth” agreement designed by the Vatican to undermine Brazil’s secular status, nothing more seems to have been reported on the concordat, which was signed in 2008.
This is not entirely surprising, as secrecy has shrouded the signing of the concordat since Day 1.
Brazilian Journalist Alberto Dines has described the performance of the media as a “news embargo or self-censorship”. He claims that the agreement was kept confidential because it violates the letter and spirit of the Federal Constitution.
Pope Ratzinger pictured in his private Vatican City library with Brazilian President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva and First Lady Marisa Leticia Lula da Silva.
Dines hosted a TV debate on the issue back in November, 2008. One panellist was Roseli Fischmann, a researcher and professor at the University of São Paulo, who said that:
The secular state has the duty to preserve the right of all, regardless of the number of people who choose certain belief.
He added that Brazil had a rich religious pluralism. Therefore, an international agreement with a single religion was unacceptable.
But lawyers for National Conference of Brazilian Bishop insist that the treaty was not signed with the Catholic Church but with the Holy See which is a sovereign state. If, for historical reasons, other religions have no legal standing in Private International Law, they cannot conclude international treaties.
The Concordat story began, according to Fraser, with the announcement in last November that Brazil’s President Luiz (“Lula”) da Silva would be stopping by the Vatican “on the way to Washington”. However, this turned out to be more than a courtesy call. Once there, the President was ushered into the Vatican’s “Treaty Room” where he signed a concordat. The Brazilian Government at first dismissed it as an “administrative agreement”. In the words of a Brazilian editor
There were hugs, there were blessings, there were pictures – but no statement on what was dealt with between the President and the Pontiff.
Critics note that this agreement appears to be a wedge which finds pretexts to introduce a number of basic legal principles that undermine the secular state.
* The concordat imports foreign law into Brazil by stipulating that Canon (or Church) Law be used in Catholic institutions. Because this includes Church-run social services, concordats act to impose Canon Law on both their lay employees and their clients. In Germany this is a widespread problem, particularly acute for anyone, like gays or the divorced, whose private life does not accord with Canon Law.
* The concordat also acts as a foot in the door to proselytise children in state schools. In Poland it only took twenty years for the establishment of voluntary unpaid catechism in state schools to be transformed bit by bit into lessons in Catholic doctrine which, in much of the country, has become effectively compulsory, is now paid for by the state and even counts in the grade average.
* The agreement commits Brazil to huge payments to the Vatican. It obligates the Brazilian taxpayer to subsidise Church schools, to underwrite Catholic charities and to maintain Church buildings. At the same time it grants the Catholic Church unspecified tax immunity and even certain exemptions from Brazilian labour laws which could be expanded. In Germany the Church maintains quite explicitly that under God’s roof there is no fundamental contradiction between the interests of the employer and employees. Therefore there are virtually no wage agreements with unions, and, of course, no right to strike.
* The Brazilian concordat ends with the infamous clause that any differences regarding it “are to be settled by direct diplomatic negotiations”. This sounds innocent, but it is not. It means that there’s no appeal to the Constitution and no redress through Brazilian courts. Brazil would have to negotiate with the Vatican and seek its agreement.
One country actually tried this. In 2006 a Hungarian cabinet minister went to the Vatican to try to renegotiate the Finance Concordat. There he found that no one had time to talk to him. This is precisely why concordats customarily snap shut with the “mousetrap clause”.
Wrote Fraser:
It’s not known how the Vatican managed to get the Brazilian President to sign this stealth concordat. Lula was a union organiser who bravely stood up to the former military dictatorship. This man of action may be simply unable to recognise a creeping dictatorship which is brought about by documents, not guns.
You can find more information at Concordat Watch.
Hat Tip: Ricardo
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
September 16th, 2009 at 7:46 am
Time to end this "Holy See" nonsense. The Pope is just another deluded religious leader, and nothing more. Sadly, in his warped mind he rules over a "sovereign state" and would also like to hold sway over the lives of billions of others. In particular, the Catholic Church is aghast at the way that it is fast losing its control over the peoples of South America, as they become more educated and more secular. Hooray!
September 16th, 2009 at 9:22 am
PS Anyone remember "Passport To Pimlico"?
September 16th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
The catholic church is pretty hard to beat in terms of its mendacity, backed up with loads of cash, lying, devious, leaders and a pliable, idiotic membership. They are in competition with islam for world domination – fortunately more and more people are wising up to this religious fascism.
Passport to Pimlico – one of my favourite films. Shame we can't use the same idea as in the film and starve out vatican city.
September 16th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
There is a (religious) sucker born every minute, to make a misquote, and as long that's a fact, religions will flourish. What's most astonishing, that even so-called bright people go for this nonsense. BTW, concordatwatch.eu is a must-read.
September 16th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
On Hungary – my Hungarian relatives tell me the deals between Vatican & shady political elements go back a long way.
For example, after World War Two when the Allies found it more useful to 'retire' the Hungarian dictator, Horthy, to Portugal rather than try him for war crimes. One of the parties who paid his 'pension' was the Vatican -even though Horty was a staunch Calvinist. It''s also possible the Vatican contributed toi the symbolic gesture of bringing Horthy's body home to Hungary in 1993 for burial – a move only of interest to the neo-fascist groups, one of which at the time was led by a Franciscan priest who passed his public rantings off as 'sermons' to avoid arrest for stirring up race hatred.
September 16th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Visa To The Vatican", starring Dame Margaret Rutherford as Pope Pompous XXIII, and Tom Hanks as the village idiot (no change there then!). Special guest star, for a limited time only, St Therese (non-speaking part). Any more suggestions?
September 16th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
"Visa To The Vatican", starring Dame Margaret Rutherford as Pope Pompous XXIII, and Tom Hanks as the village idiot (no change there then!). Special guest star, for a limited time only, St Therese (non-speaking part). Any more suggestions?
September 16th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
St Therese is presently touring England and Wales, and looking forward to meeting as many of her admirers as possible (no kidding!). Read more at:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/t...../ar…
September 16th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
I suppose really that St Therese is more suited to a role in the Carry On films! (Sorry about that one, but it's certain to amuse remigius!!)
September 16th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
It was reported on Meridian tonight – did anyone else see it? They're rejoicing because the gullible are buying literally thousands of candles per day to light in front of this macabre casket! I wondered whether anyone would put it on You Tube, and lo and behold there are several videos!! See:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4HKpeRl1-8
By the way, she evidently wanted a walk-on part in "The Bells of St Mary's", but they said "You haven't got a leg to stand on"!!!
September 16th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
It was reported on Meridian tonight – did anyone else see it? They're rejoicing because the gullible are buying literally thousands of candles per day to light in front of this macabre casket! I wondered whether anyone would put it on You Tube, and lo and behold there are several videos!! See:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4HKpeRl1-8
By the way, she evidently wanted a walk-on part in "The Bells of St Mary's", but they said "You haven't got a leg to stand on"!!!
September 16th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
The treaty is probably something to do with covering up of kiddy fiddling priests…usually is !!
September 16th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Speaking of candles I've been "cruising" this year (that's the shippy kind) and visited the supposed house of Mary
http://www.sacred-destinations.....sus…
I wanted to visit Ephesus as I'd never been. This little wendy house was included in the trip so I ventured in.People were queing to collect and pay for candles to leave on the altar and when the altar got full a woman would come along and put them back in the box to be resold to the next group of pilgrims. Gullibles travels.
September 16th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Ha!Ha! Very funny! (I thought you'd been "cottaging" as well when I saw that little hut!)
September 18th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
It's also worth knowing that in Hungary the churches, after being harrassed and priests and nuns jailed around 1950, they have been collaborating with the communist state since the end of the 50s. Only some grass roots groups were opposing.
The opposition movement active since the end of the 70s consisted of liberal intellectuals.
Now, churches get money from the state for social services (schools, care centres etc.), for maintainance of monuments, for "spiritual life" ("hitélet"), and they get plus money for the salary of priests who live in small villages.
After the fall of communism, they received back a part of their buildings, and for the rest, they receive an annuity.