Concordat between Holy See, Cape Verde on Church’s legal status

June 12, 2013

Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States, traveled to the Atlantic island nation of Cape Verde on June 10 to sign a diplomatic accord on the Church’s legal status.

According to a Vatican press release, the agreement “defines and guarantees the juridical status of the Catholic Church and regulates areas including canonical marriage, places of worship, Catholic institutions of instruction and education, the teaching of religion in schools, the charitable assistance activities of the Church, pastoral care in the armed forces, prisons, and health-care institutions, and the property and taxation system.”

The nation of 525,000, once a Portuguese colony, is 93% Catholic, according to Vatican statistics.

 

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Further information:

• Accord between Holy See and Cape Verde (VIS)
• Full text of statement (Holy See)