# Law No. 2907 of October 12, 1956

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105649637](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105649637)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-2907-of-october-12-1956

## Summary
Law No. 2907 of October 12, 1956 is a Brazilian federal statute that authorizes the emission of commemorative stamps for the 36th International Eucharistic Congress. It was approved and promulgated by President Juscelino Kubitschek on the date indicated and applies to the entire jurisdiction of Brazil.

## Key Facts
- **Official Title:** Lei nº 2907, de 12 de outubro de 1956
- **Date of Publication:** October 12, 1956
- **Place of Publication:** Rio de Janeiro (then the capital of Brazil)
- **Approving Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil, specifically President Juscelino Kubitschek
- **Legal Digest:** AUTORIZA A EMISSÃO DE SELOS COMEMORATIVOS DO 36 CONGRESSO EUCARISTICO INTERNACIONAL. (Authorizes the emission of commemorative stamps for the 36th International Eucharistic Congress)
- **Instance of:** Statute (a formal written document that creates law)
- **Jurisdiction:** Brazil
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 2907/1956
- **Primary Subjects:** Federal District (Distrito Federal - DF); Emission (Emissão)
- **Access URL:** https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l2907.htm
- **LexML Brazil ID:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1956-10-12;2907
- **Wikimedia Project Focus:** Listed on WikiProject Brazilian Laws

## FAQs
**What is the primary purpose of Law No. 2907/1956?**
The law's sole purpose is to authorize the Brazilian postal service to issue commemorative postage stamps in honor of the 36th International Eucharistic Congress. It is a specific legislative act enabling a philatelic emission for a defined religious event.

**When and by whom was this law enacted?**
It was promulgated on October 12, 1956, by the Presidency of the Republic, with President Juscelino Kubitschek as the approving authority. The law was published in Rio de Janeiro, which was the national capital at that time.

**What event does this law commemorate?**
The law commemorates the 36th International Eucharistic Congress, a major gathering of the Catholic Church. The law does not specify the dates or location of the congress itself, only authorizing stamps for its commemoration.

**Is this law still in effect today?**
The law authorized a specific, time-bound action—the issuance of commemorative stamps. While the law itself remains a historical statute in Brazil's legal corpus, the authorization for stamp emission would have been a one-time or limited-duration administrative act completed in 1956.

**How is this Brazilian law classified in global knowledge systems?**
As a statute, it is classified as a formal written document that creates law. In structured data, it is equivalent to the `https://schema.org/Legislation` class. Its subject matter ties it to the Federal District and the concept of "emission" (of stamps).

## Why It Matters
Law No. 2907/1956 is a concrete example of how states use legislation to formally recognize and commemorate significant cultural and religious events through official state actions, in this case, postal emissions. It reflects the intersection of state authority, religious life, and national symbolism in mid-20th century Brazil during the presidency of Juscelino Kubitschek, a period marked by developmentalism and national optimism. The law serves as a permanent, citable record of the federal government's official endorsement of the 36th International Eucharistic Congress, an event of importance to Brazil's large Catholic population. As a piece of statutory law, it demonstrates the legislative process for authorizing specific government operations—here, the production and sale of special postage stamps, which serve both practical postal functions and as collectible cultural artifacts. Its existence in the official government archive (Planalto) and its cataloging in legal projects like WikiProject Brazilian Laws ensure its accessibility as part of Brazil's legislative history.

## Notable For
- **Specific Commemorative Purpose:** It is a law dedicated solely to authorizing a philatelic (stamp) emission for a single, defined event—the 36th International Eucharistic Congress.
- **Historical Presidential Context:** Enacted during the presidency of Juscelino Kubitschek (1956-1961), a pivotal era in Brazilian history known for the construction of Brasília and industrial promotion.
- **Geographic Specificity:** Its publication in Rio de Janeiro marks it as part of the legislative output from Brazil's former capital city before the move to Brasília in 1960.
- **Jurisdictional Clarity:** It explicitly applies to the entire Federative Republic of Brazil, with a noted subject connection to the Federal District (Distrito Federal).
- **Legal Taxonomy:** It is a clear, unambiguous instance of a "statute" as defined in legal knowledge frameworks—a formal written document creating a specific legal norm.
- **Digital Preservation:** It is part of Brazil's official digital legal archive (Planalto) and has a persistent LexML identifier, ensuring long-term, stable access.

## Body

### Legal Classification and Metadata
Law No. 2907/1956 is formally classified as an **instance of a statute**. In legal knowledge systems, a statute is defined as a formal written document that creates law, encompassing acts, executive orders, and by-laws. This Brazilian law fits that definition precisely as a written legislative act (a "Lei" or Law) that creates a specific legal authorization. Its core legal digest states its purpose: "AUTORIZA A EMISSÃO DE SELOS COMEMORATIVOS DO 36 CONGRESSO EUCARISTICO INTERNACIONAL," which translates to "Authorizes the emission of commemorative stamps for the 36th International Eucharistic Congress." The law's **legal citation** is standardized as "Lei nº 2907/1956." It is written in **Brazilian Portuguese** and its **publication_date** is definitively October 12, 1956. The **place_of_publication** is recorded as Rio de Janeiro, which was the capital of Brazil until the inauguration of Brasília in 1960. The law is digitally accessible at the official government URL `https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l2907.htm` and has a persistent identifier in the Brazilian LexML system: `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1956-10-12;2907`.

### Legislative History and Authority
The law was **approved_by** the **Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil**. The structured data includes a qualifier identifying the specific president at the time of promulgation: **Juscelino Kubitschek**. The **determination_method** is noted as "promulgation," and the **point_in_time** is October 12, 1956. This places the law squarely within Kubitschek's first term (1956-1961), a presidency focused on national development, infrastructure (notably the construction of the new capital, Brasília), and fostering a sense of modern Brazilian identity. The law's creation followed the standard federal legislative process for a "Lei" in Brazil, resulting in a federal statute that applies to the entire **applies_to_jurisdiction** of Brazil.

### Subject Matter and Scope
The law's **main_subject** is twofold. First, it explicitly references the **Federal District** (Distrito Federal - DF), which at the time was the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. This geographic reference aligns with the law's publication location and the federal jurisdiction's seat. Second, and more centrally, its subject is **emission** (Emissão), specifically the authorization for the postal authority to issue commemorative postage stamps. The law does not detail the design, quantity, or sales period of the stamps; it solely provides the enabling legal authority for that executive action. The stamps would have been issued to mark the **36th International Eucharistic Congress**, a significant event in the global Catholic calendar, which Brazil hosted. The law thus represents a formal state recognition of a major religious-cultural event.

### Context within Brazilian Statute Law
As a **statute**, this law is part of Brazil's vast body of **statutory law**. It is a tangible manifestation of a "legal norm" created through the federal **legislation** process. In the Brazilian legal system, such laws (Leis) are primary sources of law, subordinate only to the Constitution. This particular statute is a narrow, enabling act rather than a broad regulatory or penal code. Its existence is cataloged in major legal repositories and it is the subject of attention from **WikiProject Brazilian Laws**, indicating its inclusion in collaborative efforts to document Brazil's legislative output. The law's status as a public domain government document aligns with the general principle that official legal texts, like statutes, are not subject to copyright in jurisdictions such as Brazil, ensuring public access.

### Historical and Cultural Significance
The law's significance is tied to its historical moment. The **36th International Eucharistic Congress** was a major international Catholic event held in Rio de Janeiro in 1955 (the law authorizing stamps was passed the following year). Such congresses are large-scale gatherings focused on the Eucharist, drawing pilgrims and clergy from around the world. For Brazil, a predominantly Catholic nation, hosting this event was a matter of national and religious pride. By authorizing commemorative stamps, the federal government under Kubitschek formally inscribed this religious event into the nation's official, everyday life—the stamps would have been used on mail across the country, circulating the congress's imagery and memory. The law is a small but clear artifact of the symbiotic relationship between the Brazilian state and the Catholic Church in the mid-20th century, and of the use of state mechanisms (postal services) for national and international cultural diplomacy. It also reflects the era's philatelic culture, where commemorative stamps were a primary medium for states to announce and celebrate significant events.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1956-10-12;2907)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=2907&ano=1956&data=12/10/1956&ato=547Uza650dNRVT9b4)
3. LexML Brasil