A Symbol of Faith or Culture? Brazil’s Constitutional Dilemma

Bruno Santos Cunha is a professor of constitutional and administrative law in Brazil and a PhD candidate in constitutional law at the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil.

Renato Costa is a lecturer in law and a fellow of the Centre for Public, International, and Comparative Law at the University of Queensland, Australia.

This blog post examines religious expression in Brazilian public institutions, a topic that has been debated since at least 1892, following the 1891 Constitution’s formal disestablishment of an official state religion in Brazil. While this matter has been discussed across various public fora over the years, it is ultimately the judiciary that adjudicates controversies pertaining to the inclusion of pluriform religious expressions in public institutions.

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A Big Heart Open to God: Notes on the Legacy of Pope Francis

Ingeborg G. Gabriel is a professor emerita at the University of Vienna.

Editors’ Note: This post was written and published prior to Pope Francis’s death.

The title of this post refers to the first interview Pope Francis gave, in August 2013, in which he stated the basic intentions of his pontificate. I happened to be in Rome when he was elected and vividly remember the moment the new pope stepped on to the balcony, greeting everyone with a warm “buona sera.” This first self-presentation, as well his chosen name, signaled an agenda that has unfolded during his 12 years in office. The decision to reside in the Guesthouse Santa Marta—at the time much commented on—was another landmark choice signaling his approach. A Pope in the cafeteria carrying a tray with his dinner? This represented a fresh, liberating style to many and a scandal to others, who feared it may tarnish the image of the papacy. Despite such criticism, a bon mot began circulating: John Paul II listened, Benedict taught, and Francis touches the heart.

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Francesco. Twelve Years Later

Antonio Autiero is emeritus professor of moral theology at the University of Münster (Germany).

Editors’ Note: This post was written and published prior to Pope Francis’s death.

The date of this post, 13 March 2025, takes us back 12 years ago, to that evening of 13 March 2013, when the new pontiff introduced himself to the world with the name Francesco.

An Indispensable Voice

Apprehensions about his poor health in recent weeks bring Pope Francis particularly close to the consciousness of humanity, and not only portion professing to be Catholic. The way of exercising his function as pope has made Francis an indispensable voice in narrating the history we live. It has given his message and style value, recognized by all as moral leadership for understanding and facing what he (borrowing the term from French sociologist and philosopher Edgar Morin) calls polycrisis.

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