religion in rio is deeply felt, and it constitutes a fascinating subtext and sometimes seemingly contradictory backdrop to some very liberal local celebrations. brazil is a secular state and brazilian constitution guarantees freedom of religion, thus in rio as much as in the rest of brazil, the law forbids any type of religious intolerance.

rio is a predominantly christian and catholic city, however religion in rio de janeiro is highly diversified and syncretism (merging of religious traditions) is quite common, especially as mobility across religions is also a widespread phenomenon.

the catholic church enjoys a privileged status and the arquidiocese de são sebastião do rio de janeiro (archidioecesis sancti sebastiani fluminis ianuarii) is the body responsible for rio's religious heritage.