Catholicism was introduced in Brazil in 1500 by the Portuguese Empire, and it is the country's predominant faith.

In November 1871, Emperor Pedro II of Brazil paid a visit to the Vatican and met with Pope Pius IX.

In November 2008, during Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva second visit to the Vatican, an agreement was signed between both nations on the Legal Statute of the Catholic Church in Brazil, which consolidates rules for the Church's activities in the country.

The main objective of the agreement is to give Brazil's relations with the Holy See enhanced legal certainty, always in accordance with the state's secular principle.

In 2023, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met with Pope Francis at the Vatican.