It turns out that culturally conservative Protestants in Brazil (mostly Pentecostals, I suspect, though the author of this article calls them evangelicals) have forced the newly elected president, Catholic (and former Marxist guerilla) Dilma Rousseff, to move sharply rightward in her positions on abortion and same-sex marriage. By supporting a Protestant Green candidate in the first round, they deprived Rousseff of the majority she needed to win, forcing her into a run-off where both she and her opponent walked back their pro-abortion positions.
This time, a grass-roots campaign of sermons, Internet videos and DVDs distributed mainly by evangelical pastors thrust moral questions like abortion and gay marriage abruptly onto the political agenda and forced Ms. Rousseff and Mr. Serra to declare positions. Joined by some conservative Catholic bishops, the evangelicals mobilized at least partly in response to the government’s approval last year of a broad social plan supported by Ms. Rousseff’s party that included calling for greater gay rights and abortion rights.
In order to shore up support among religious conservatives, both Ms. Rousseff and her rival, Mr. Serra, added opposition to legal abortion to their campaign platforms. That meant a big move to the right for Ms. Rousseff, an ex-Marxist guerrilla who has supported legalizing abortion in the past.
“We’ve written a new chapter in the history of our nation,” said Silas Malafaia, a popular Brazilian televangelist who mailed more than 300,000 DVDs in September admonishing followers not to vote for candidates who would decriminalize abortion or extend more legal protections to gays.
Makes you want to fly down to Rio, no?
December 8th, 2010 | 4:34 pm
It does. A society that kills its own children has no longer term future. “its just a matter of time” Chesterton said.
December 8th, 2010 | 4:36 pm
It is not all black and white, those “evangelicals” have many interests in politics and they also have a very influential group at brazilian senate. What can We, brazilians, say? While our catholic bishops do nothing or very little for the defense of the faith here, we rely on protestants pastors to fight against death culture.
Of course, the brazilian bishops are against abortion, but they supported the then candidate-Dilma even when she was not that incredible, super and amazing pro-life girl.
The vast majority of the bishops loves the PT – Workers party.
They created the PT! How is the situation of the “catholic Brazil”? Let me put in words so you, americans, can understand. Imagine more than 200 dioceses and 180 of then with a bishop like Cardinal Mahony. It sounds nice? But it is the truth.
December 8th, 2010 | 5:04 pm
“evangelical” in Brazil just means “protestant”. Most Brazilian non-Catholics are quite conservative.
December 9th, 2010 | 3:21 am
Isn’t his the harbinger we face in our own backyard, the fervent vitriol of these new hyphenated Christian’s, as they spew their own heretical views on the suspecting? Where is the reciprocity toward Catholicism by these charlatans since Vatican II took Catholic identity and reduced it to everyone else.
I pray Pope Benedict does re initiate the Latin Rite with the vigor of John XXIII and quiet the concerns over the new missal. What was their verse which applies, “Give me my old time religion” would the return of the Latin Rite and the mystery of Calvary, salvation, and redemption be reemerged into ourselves and the most important our children. I obviously have an obsession on the success of the roman catholic Church and all its traditions, I read the “Last Acceptable Prejudice, Anti-Catholicism, By Father Massa, SJ, simply put, we do think differently, we are Catholic, that singular perspective was so important in my early foundation, one I do cherish and accept, how can we allow the vitriol against our Priest, Bishops, cardinal and pope continue? How do we accept to overt disregard for that difference when children are in the Public Schools? Vatican II, how I embraced, that which has brought such hardship to those of us who appreciate the eloquence and certitude of magisterial direction and authority. We are in a situation which too many refuse to accept, Catholicism is under attack, we need pray for decisive leadership.
When the “culture wars” are turned against the Church we need Catholic leaders to rise to the occasion.
December 9th, 2010 | 10:33 am
Definitely, these “culture” issues are at the fore in Latin America. Visiting Brazil 5 years ago, I was surprised to see a huge Gay Pride parade at Copacabana beach in Rio, plus the US activists supporting it staying at the same hotel I did. Clearly, THEY had “flown down to Rio” for that purpose. More recently, my friends in Argentina were devastated by the approval of gay marriage there. These are traditionally Catholic countries, and one does need to ask why they are going down these paths. In the case of Dilma Roussef, it seems again the marriage of center-left politics with the 1960s culture of dissent against authority. Danilo’s comments are quite to the point.
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