The Association of the Republic and Laicity celebrated the decision of the Committee on Religious Freedom and the Ombudsman who considered it illegal to hold a religious ceremony at the inauguration of a public school, reinforcing the principle of secularity in the State.
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24/10/2026
by
Lusa
Laicity
A The Republic and Laicity Association today welcomed the fact that the Committee on Religious Freedom and the Ombudsman were right about illegality in holding a religious ceremony at the inauguration of a public school.
“(The) two opinions confirm the understanding that we have always made of the illegality of the inclusion of religious ceremonies in official acts of the State, which must therefore cease to take place at the state level,” states the association in a statement.
“ The association is pleased that the Religious Freedom Commission has decided that Article 4, paragraph 2, of the Religious Freedom Act (‘In official acts and the State Protocol the principle of non-confessionality’), which ‘consolidates’ the constitutional principle of separation between the State and religious communities (Article 41(4) of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, ‘Churches and other religious communities are separate from the State’, reads in the statement.
It is also pleased that “the Ombudsman’s office has ‘followed the understanding’ of the Religious Freedom Commission, concluding that ‘the inclusion of a ceremony of a religious nature in an official act of this nature raises a question of conformity with the legal framework governing relations between the Portuguese State and religious communities’”.
On September 23, the Association Republic and Laicity had asked the president of the Religious Freedom Commission, José Vera Jardim, the Attorney General of the Republic, Amadeu Guerra, and the Ombudsman, Luísa Neto, to assess whether there were illegalities in the holding of a religious ceremony at the inauguration of the Cascais Secondary School two days earlier.
The inauguration was attended by the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, and the Lusa agency reported on that day that “the ceremony included the descent of a plaque, a Catholic blessing, by the patriarch of Lisbon, Rui Valério, and a visit to the school premises, built with cofinancing of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR)”.
The association informs that it has already informed the Attorney General's Office of the two opinions, published in communiqués dated 9 and 22, respectively, which adds to its note to the media.