Yesterday, Tuesday 6 September, in the Palais de la Renaissance in Bangui, seat of the presidency of the Republic, a Framework Agreement between the Holy See and the Central African Republic on matters of mutual interest was signed in the presence of the Head of State, Faustin Archange Touadéra.

The Agreement was signed on behalf of the Holy See by Archbishop Franco Coppola, apostolic nuncio in the country, and on behalf of the Central African Republic by Charles Armel Doubane, minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Central Africans Abroad.

The Framework Agreement, which consists of a Preamble and 21 articles, establishes the legal framework for relations between the Church and the State, governing issues of common interest. The two Parties, while maintaining their independence and autonomy, undertake to collaborate in the interests of the moral, spiritual and material wellbeing of the human person and for the promotion of the common good. The Framework Agreement will enter into force with the exchange of the instruments of ratification.