Brazilian Cardinal’s Appearance Alongside Bolsonaro Causes Controversy

Crux ^ | 4/12/22 | Eduardo Campos Lima

[marshmallow]

SÃO PAULO – An appearance by Cardinal Orani Tempesta of Rio de Janeiro at a ceremony with President Jair Bolsonaro last week, as the country prepares to enter the campaign for the 2022 presidential election, has caused controversy in Brazil.

Tempesta, Bolsonaro, and other authorities met at the Christ the Redeemer Sanctuary to sign a cooperation agreement in which the federal government increased the church’s autonomy in managing the site.

The monument belongs to the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro but is located in a federal forest reserve. Over the past few years, there have been numerous clashes with the park’s security officers, who had frequently created obstacles to the sanctuary’s workers and priests when they tried to enter the park and reach the chapel located at the foot of the monument.

Although the full details of the agreement are still being worked out, Father Omar Raposo, the sanctuary’s rector, has already declared that the chapel will now be open all day long, according to the news website G1.

After the meeting, Bolsonaro told the press that the protocol with the archdiocese had “great symbolism for all of us, Catholics from all over Brazil.”

“[Ours is] An administration that believes in God and defends family. Faith has elected us and saved us in the past. Without faith, how could we resist so much adversity, with most of the press against us?” Bolsonaro told the journalists.

The pictures of Tempesta side by side with Bolsonaro caused controversy among Brazilian Catholics, especially Bolsonaro’s opponents. Many saw the ceremony as part of Bolsonaro’s presidential campaign as he seeks reelection in October.

Two days after the meeting, the progressive groups Padres da Caminhada (The Walking Priests) and Priests against Fascism, which include hundreds of priests and even some bishops, released a joint statement criticizing......