A new Concordat has been signed between the Holy See and the Republic of Portugal. The signing ceremony took place in the Vatican on 18 May. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Portugal, José Manuel Durão, were present. The new Pact replaces the one signed on 7 May 1940, which, as the Holy See declared, “has ensured long and fruitful relations between the Catholic Church and Portugal”, but the changes that have taken place in the meantime “had made a part of its contents, and especially its missionary accord, inapplicable”. The new Concordat regulates the legal position of the Catholic Church and its institutions in Portugal. The State guarantees to the Church the public and free exercise of her activities, in particular as regards public worship, the teachings and ministry of the Church, and her jurisdiction in the ecclesiastical sphere. It also recognizes religious freedom, especially in the spheres of conscience, liturgy, meeting, association, public expression, teaching and charitable activity. Following the new accord, the Portuguese will be able to decide, in their income tax returns, whether to allocate a percentage to the Catholic Church. It is also formally establishes that the appointment or removal of bishops will depend exclusively on the Holy See, while the Portuguese State shall be only notified of the fact. The representative of the Pope in Portugal, Msgr. Alfio Rapisarda, declared that the new Concordat would permit the Church to perform her mission “with greater security and with more trust in herself, in order to better serve the people of God here in Portugal”. Msgr. João Alves, bishop emeritus of Coimbra, commented that “the document signed today is the best possible one”. The Concordat will come into force after the exchange of the instruments of ratification.
