Brazil Archbishop Blames ‘Dragon of Traditionalism’ for Opposition to Pope

Archbishop Brandes backtracks in presence of conservative President Jair Bolsonaro

SAO PAULO, Brazil (ChurchMilitant.com) - The archbishop of Aparecida has lashed out at conservatives who oppose the Amazon Synod as possessed by the "dragon of traditionalism" and as "violent, unfair" and "shooting the Pope, the Synod and the Second Vatican Council."

Preaching at the Solemn High Mass on the feast day of Our Lady of Aparecida, Abp. Orlando Brandes said that the dragon was active and was "easing the ways of the dragon of corruption, which takes bread out of our mouth and increases social inequalities."

"Of course, in the Scriptures the dragon is the devil, the evil that organizes itself in the world," Brandes stressed in his 10-minute homily to 40,000 Catholics in the Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida on Saturday.

The sermon invoked God's blessing on the Amazon Synod, "which is thinking about the life of those trees, those rivers, those birds, but especially those populations. Many of our relatives are there," preached Brandes at the world's second-largest Catholic basilica.

"Deliver us from evil and we will then be free so that in Brazil our children do not die anymore from one stray bullet, our young people do not commit suicide and our elderly have a place of dignity to live and survive," Brandes said.

"This [the violence] is committed by the left, not the right," Minister for Women, Family and Human Rights Damares Alves shot back. The archbishop said that people are "to beware of the dragon of conservatism. They must be worried about us because we are terribly Christian."

"They are concerned because the numbers say that conservatism will work in this nation," she added, explaining how the left was hypocritical for stopping the nearly 40 indigenous..........

Brandes was appointed by Francis to cover up when his predecessor got caught: Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Vilson Dias de Oliveira of Limeira. The bishop is being investigated by authorities for extortion of priests, mismanagement of the diocese’s funds and covering up alleged cases of abuse against minors by area priests. His resignation was announced May 17. . .According to the Sao Paulo state police, Oliveira took $975 from a local parish to build an artesian well in his beach house in Itanhaem. When faced with the accusation, the bishop confessed he obtained a “donation” from the parish and alleged he was facing financial problems. Local media reported that the bishop gave investigators documents confirming that, in the past four years, he purchased two properties on the coast of Sao Paulo state, worth more than $243,000. . .The bishop, who has led the Limeira Diocese for the past 12 years, is also under investigation for possibly having helped cover up cases of sexual abuse committed by Father Pedro Leandro Ricardo, in the cities of Americana, Limeira and Araras. Since February, several altar boys have accused Ricardo of sexual abuse. The priest has been suspended from his religious duties until further notice. Francis accepted Oliveira’s resignation and designated Archbishop Orlando Brandes of Aparecida as a temporary replacement.: Brazilian bishop accused of theft, covering up abuse resigns

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