Abstract: The paper analyzes the process of constitution of the Movimento de Educação de Base - MEB -, reflecting about the dynamics of relations between Church and State in Brazil, at a time when education in the rural environment was disputed by diverse social groups. The objective was to understand how, within an officially secular state, an agreement could be signed and justified in which the Brazilian Government financed a movement proposed and coordinated by the Catholic Church. Theoretically based on the notions of elite groups and influence, it investigated the approximations between governmental and religious agents involved in establishing the agreement. Finally, it analyzed the decree formalizing the agreement, relating some of its main points with the previous process.
Keywords:
history of brazilian education; education policy; religion and education