Brazilian Supreme Court ends challenge to Nossa Senhora Aparecida holiday

A legal challenge to abolish the national holiday of Nossa Senhora Aparecida, celebrated on October 12, has concluded in the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF). The action, filed in December 2020 via ADPF 775 by the Antiga e Iluminada Sociedade Banksiana, argued that Law 6.802/1980 was incompatible with the constitutional principle of the secular state.

Ralph Anzolin Lichote, a former official of the Workers' Party (PT) in Itaperuna, Rio de Janeiro, signed the petition as vice-president of the association. During the proceedings, the Attorney General's Office (AGU) opposed the request, stating that the entity lacked the legitimacy to propose the action and that state secularism does not prohibit religious holidays.

Justice Kassio Nunes Marques dismissed the case in February 2023 without analyzing its merits, ruling that the association did not have the standing required for a concentrated control action. Following unsuccessful appeals, the case reached a final judgment in August 2024.