Concordat

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Until 1980, a concordat was an agreement between the Pope and a government or sovereign on religious matters. This often included both recognition and privileges for the Catholic Church in a particular country, as well as the ability of a state to influence the selection of bishops within its territory.

The term is also used for agreements setting out the framework for co-operation between United Kingdom government departments and the Scottish Executive and the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales: for examples see DEFRA.

This type of formal agreement is generally no longer used by the Vatican, the last classic concordat, with Spain, having expired in 1980. A different model of relations between the Catholic Church and states is still evolving in the wake of the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on Religious Liberty, Dignitatis Humanae.