Brazilian judges oppose concordat (14 August 2009)
The Association of Brazilian Magistrates (Associação dos Magistrados Brasileiros), protests that the concordat not only violates the constitutional separation of church and state, but also goes against Brazilian values which cherish the diversity of all its citizens.
Public Announcement, 14 August 2009
The National Commission for Human Rights of the Association of Brazilian Magistrates (AMB), composed of representatives of all affiliated entities, publically expresses support for opposition to the incorporation into the Brazilian legal system of the Agreement between Brazil and the Vatican.
The AMB points out that the current constitutional model has established the secularism of the Brazilian state, guaranteeing religious freedom to all citizens. Its acceptance by the National Congress [...] will cause a serious setback to the exercise of freedoms and the [legal] validity of diversity as a fundamental principle of the state. We ask that the Legislature treat this matter in a strictly constitutional manner.
Mozart Valadares Pires
President of the AMB
