This is a big win.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has upheld the display of religious symbols, including crucifixes, in public buildings, confirming that such displays align with the country’s secular principles. The court ruled that these symbols reflect Brazil’s cultural and historical roots, particularly its Catholic heritage. This decision, which applies to both federal and state public institutions, followed a legal challenge by a citizen who argued that religious symbols in public spaces caused emotional distress.
The case dates back to 2009 when the Federal Public Ministry supported the plaintiff, claiming that the presence of religious symbols breached the principle of non-discrimination and undermined religious freedom. However, both lower courts and the appeals court rejected the case, with the Supreme Court ultimately affirming that displaying these symbols does not violate Brazil’s secular identity. Justice Cristiano Zanin emphasized that the presence of these symbols is in harmony with the nation’s cultural heritage and does not compromise secularism or neutrality.
ADF International, which submitted a legal brief in support of the symbols, hailed the ruling as a victory for religious freedom in Brazil. The organization argued that the claim of emotional harm was inadequate to justify the removal of religious symbols and stressed that state neutrality should not be seen as opposition to Christianity. They also emphasized the importance of recognizing the religious and cultural significance that these symbols hold within Brazilian society.
This ruling mirrors a similar case in Europe. In 2011, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in Lautsi v. Italy that Italy could display crosses in public school classrooms, asserting that such symbols did not violate human rights principles. ADF International also played a role in that case, offering legal support for the ruling.
In contrast, in the United States, Louisiana recently faced a legal challenge to a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms. A federal appeals court recently limited a previous ruling that blocked the law, allowing the display of the Ten Commandments in schools where no legal challenges exist. This issue continues to be debated in the U.S., especially after the 1980 Supreme Court ruling that banning mandatory Ten Commandment displays in public schools was a violation of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.