The UDV makes available the video series about Religious Liberty, Public Health and Use of Hoasca Tea within Religious Contexts

Iris S. Corso Barreto*

| August 19th, 2026

With the support of the General Representation, the Legal Department of the Beneficent Spiritist Center União do Vegetal made available a series of 13 videos produced by the Department of Memory and Communication (DMC) of the 19th Region, filmed during the International Seminar held in Coimbra (Portugal) in 2025. The event brought together specialists to discuss the theme of “Religious Freedom, Public Health and the Use of Hoasca Tea within Religious Contexts”.

The Seminar in Coimbra

Following the orientation of the Beneficent Spiritist Center União do Vegetal’s founder, Mestre José Gabriel da Costa, the UDV has been working to captivate the authorities: both public and academic.

Thus, on May 9th, 2025, the Internation Seminar for “Religious Freedom, Public Health and the Use of Hoasca Tea within Religious Contexts” was held at the historic and renowned University of Coimbra in Portugal. Organized by the Faculty of Law and the Center for Biomedical Law of the University of Coimbra, and in partnership with the União do Vegetal, the event brought together academics, attorneys, health professionals and participants from many different countries.

The seminar served as an important forum for dialogue and knowledge sharing regarding the sacramental use of Hoasca Tea, fostering profound reflections grounded in theoretical and practical evidence.

The schedule included three thematic panels with twelve high-level speakers, who presented the public with a broad overview of the legal, medical-scientific, and regulatory challenges related to the religious use of Hoasca Tea. Each panel also made time at the end for questions and dialogue with participants, broadening the exchange of ideas and experiences.

YouTube Channel

With the aim of bringing this knowledge to a broader audience—including UDV members, national and international authorities, and various individuals interested in the subject—the 19th Region’s DMC produced a series of 15 videos, comprising approximately 280 hours of high-quality content on the topic.

We have made the event’s introductory video available below, as well as the individual presentations, which are available in full on the UDV’s official YouTube channel.

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–>> Click here and watch the other videos from the series on our YouTube channel.

Learn more:

Knowledge regarding this highly relevant subject strengthens the União do Vegetal’s dialogue with authorities and contributes to the recognition and regulation of the right to the sacramental use of Hoasca in various countries, ensuring full religious freedom. For more details on the content, view the following article International seminar in Coimbra discusses Religious Freedom, Public Health and the Use of Hoasca Tea within Religious Contexts.

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*Iris S. Corso Barreto is a member of the Instructive Body of Nucleo Sagrado Poder (Geneva, Switzerland) and is the Coordinator of the Legal Department of the 19th Region.