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Vatican-São Tomé and Príncipe Agreement an “instrument” of Dialogue: Catholic Bishop-elect

Mons. João de Ceita Nazaré, appointed Bishop for the Diocese of São Tomé and Príncipe on 9 January 2024. Credit: Diocese of São Tomé and Príncipe

The agreement between the Vatican and  the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe signed on 15 August 2022, and ratified on January 30 is an opportunity for dialogue and exercise of freedom, the Bishop-elect  for the lone Episcopal See in the Central African island nation has said.

In a Wednesday, February 14 interview with Rádio Jubilar, Mons. João de Ceita Nazaré  highlighted the benefits of the agreement that recognizes the Catholic Church and her ecclesiastical institutions as a “juridical personality” in São Tomé and Príncipe.

“I think it's really an instrument that will largely enable dialogue. It will establish dialogue between the Holy See and the São Toméan State, because it becomes a space for dialogue, a space for negotiation, a space to sit at the table, a space to walk together, a space of unity, respect, a space for growth, a space for freedom.,” Mons. Nazaré said.

The 50-year-old São Toméan Priest, who was appointed Bishop on January 9 added, “I was very pleased with the ratification of this document, because the Catholic Church, which will be present for 500 years in 2034, was not recognized by the São Toméan State as having legal personality.

“If we wanted to open an account, or do anything else, we couldn't because we didn't have this legal status,” the Bishop-elect, who previously appealed for prayers for the success of his Episcopal Ministry set to begin after his Consecration scheduled for March 17 said.

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In a January 30 communique, the Holy See provided details of the events of the previous day at the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican, during which “the instruments of ratification of the Agreement between the Holy See and the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe were exchanged.”

The January 29 agreement that established “the recognition of the legal personality of the Catholic Church and the ecclesiastical institutions” and defined “the legal framework of relations between the Church and the State” also consolidated “the existing bonds of friendship and collaboration between the two Parties.” 

To safeguard the independence and autonomy proper to the two parties of the agreement, they undertook “to collaborate for the spiritual and material well-being of the human person, as well as the promotion of the common good.”

São Tomé and Príncipe has been independent since the mid-1970s and is one of the smallest African countries, with a population of 219,100 people, most of them Catholics.

Located on the equator in the Gulf of Guinea, the Portuguese-speaking nation is made up of two main islands, namely São Tomé and Príncipe. It is surrounded by a luxuriant archipelago and also bears the name of St. Thomas, given by Portuguese navigators who discovered it in 1470.

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João Vissesse is an Angolan Journalist with a passion and rich experience in Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate.