There was a significant election in Brazil on October 30th that has significant religious interest. Senator Marcelo Crivella, candidate of the Republican Party, former bishop and gospel singer in a highly controversial church, was elected mayor of Rio de Janeiro, a city of 6.5 million. He went up against a socialist party opponent, and won.
Crivella’s triumph acknowledges the growing socio-political importance of evangelical Protestants. Who now claim a fifth of the population in Latin America’s largest nation, consisting of the world’s largest Catholic horde. And yet, Crivella won in spite of his past denunciations of Catholicism, homosexuality and popular Afro-Brazilian sects; Candoble and Umbanda. Crivella is a follower of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, an independent body founded and led by his uncle Edit Macedo. On paper, the UCKG offers standard-brand Pentecostalism, with a statement of faith that upholds orthodox Christian doctrines alongside belief of “the baptism of the Holy Spirit” with “accompanying supernatural gifts” and an emphasis on “divine healing” as “an integral part of the Gospel.” But the media sheds a much different light, a church body immersed in incessant controversy over miraculous healing and exorcism events. The turmoil burdening Brazilian politics led to this year’s impeachment of former President Dilma Rousseff and a corruption indictment against the founder of her Worker’s Party, former President Luiz Lula da Silva, in the so-called “car wash” scandal involving the state oil corporation.
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A recent Brazilian court’s ruling legalizing abortion during the first trimester has caused an outcry from politicians with strong ties to Roman Catholic and evangelical faiths, who have gained ground in their current government.
The decision was made on November 29th, is a turning point in a country where abortion is a crime, and it comes as a response to a case where five people were charged with conducting clandestine abortions. In dropping the charges against the accused, the Federal Supreme Court, expressed it favored the decriminalization of abortion in other cases. Rodrigo Maia, who is the president of Brazil’s House of Representatives, is calling for the ruling to be overturned, this could be because he’s seeking re-election and his campaign is running on support of the religious right. “Whenever the Supreme Court legislates in place of the House of Representatives or the National Congress,” he said, “we must respond, confirm or correct the court’s decision, as is the case right now.” Opposers of the judgment say the ruling ‘slipped through’ while the nation’s attention was focused on the plane crash on Tuesday in Medellin, Colombia. “This is a major attack on the rule of law,” said Evandro Gussi, leader of the Green Party. “Abortion is an abominable crime because it claims the lives of the innocent.” Edmar Arruda of the Social Democratic Party added: “We who are Christians defend the family. We cherish life and we do not agree with this decision.” On Tuesday police officers and anti-austerity demonstrators clashed amid a budget crisis in the state. The protesters mostly consister of public workers who haven't been paid in months. The Police used tear gas and stun grenades near the state assembly building, where the spending cute were being discussed. Legislators are meeting to discuss steps to cover a huge inadequacy in the city's state budget. During the rifts police officers entered a nearby church and fired rubber bullets from a window.
October in São Paulo means gearing up for local election's, where more and more people are turning to evangelical leaders for political guidance as well a spiritual. Celso Russomanno is contending for the position of mayor, his campaign is running on his record as a defender of consumer rights. Russomanno stresses that he is a political candidate and not a religious one. But the fact that he's a staunch Christian as well as an all around family man may help him to gain votes.
A plane carrying the Brazilian soccer team, Chapecoense, to a competition in Colombia wanted to make an emergency landing, because the plane was running out of fuel. The plane crashed in the early hours of Tuesday morning killing 71 players, crew members, and journalists. Six out of the 77 people on the plane survived.
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