The Agreement was signed (on behalf of the Holy See) by His Eminence, Pietro Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State and Pontifical Legate for the above-mentioned celebration, and (on behalf of the Democratic Republic of East Timor) by His Excellency, Mister Rui Maria de Araújo, Prime Minister of Timor-Leste.
Also present for the solemn signing of the Agreement were:
On behalf of the Holy See: His Excellency, Joseph Marino, Apostolic Nuncio to Timor-Leste; His Excellency, Basílio do Nascimento, Bishop of Baucau and President of the Timorese Episcopal Conference; His Excellency, Norberto de Amaral, Bishop of Miliana; His Excellency, Leopoldo Girelli, Apostolic Nuncio to Singapore and to the ASEAN; Monsignor Francesco Cao Minh Dung, Councellor for the Nunciatures in the Secretariat of State's Section for Relations with States; and Monsignor Ionut Paul Strejac, Counsellor at the Apostolic Nunciature in Timor-Leste; and
On behalf of the Democratic Republic of East Timor: Mister Agio Pereira, Minister of State and of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers; Mister António da Conceição, Minister of State and Coordinating Minister for Social Affairs, as well as Minister of Education; Mister Estanislau da Silva, Minister of State and Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Minister of Agriculture and of Presca; Mister Dionísio Babo, Minister of State and Coordinating Minister for the Administration of the State and for Justice; Mister Hernâni Coelho, Minister of External Affairs and of Cooperation; Mistress Santina Cardoso, Minister of Finance; Mister Jaime Xavier Lopes, Secretary of State for the Earth and for Property; Mistress Isabel Guterres, Minister of Solidarity; Mistress Maria do Céu Sarmento, Minister of Health; Mister Longuinhos Monteiro, Minister of Internal Affairs; Mistress Dulce JEsus Soares, Associate Minister for Primary Education; Mister Roberto Sarmento de Oliveira Soares, Associate Minister for External Affairs; and Mister Orlando Sarmento, Business Coordinator at the Embassy of East Timor to the Holy See.
The Agreement, which notes the good relations that have developed between the Holy See and the Democratic Republic of East Timor, and considers the historic and current role played by the Catholic Church in the life of the nation in service to the development of humanity, defines and guarantees the juridical statute of the Catholic Church and regulates various areas, including canonical marriage, places of worship, Catholic institutions of instruction and education, the teaching of religion in schools, the Church's charitable and care giving activities, the pastoral care of the armed forces, in penal institutions and in hospitals, and the impact of property and tax laws.
The Agreement, which consists of a Preamble and 26 Articles, will enter into effect with the exchange of mutual instruments of ratification.
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