The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe is updating its relationship with the Catholic Church. The African micro-state signed an agreement with the Holy See in the 'meeting room' of the country's Foreign Ministry.
The agreement has 28 articles in Italian and Portuguese that recognize the juridical personality of the Catholic Church and its ecclesial institutions. It also stregnthens the relationship between the Church and the State.
According to the Vatican Press Office, this agreement 'consolidates the bond of friendship and collaboration existing between the two parties.'
The goal of the agreement is to 'guarantee the independence and autonomy' of the Church and the country. It is meant to help the two powers 'collaborate for the spiritual and material well-being of the human person as well as the promotion of the common good.'
RM
TR: AT
