The information brought by journalist Maria Cristina Fernandes on GloboNews about efforts to take away the title of patroness of Brazil from Our Lady Aparecida is worrisome. Our Lady belongs to a history greater than any altar. She is the black image that three poor fishermen pulled from the waters of the Paraíba do Sul in 1717. She is the Saint who was embraced and chosen by the Brazilian people. She is present in the thousands of Marias Aparecidas throughout this country, in the faith of a nation. It was in 1946 that Jorge Amado, a Bahian like me, a constituent deputy from São Paulo, fought to include in the Constitution the amendment that reinforced religious freedom in Brazil. Almost fifty years later, on October 12, the country watched in outrage the image of the aggression against Our Lady on live television. People of all faiths rose up in repudiation. It is this tradition of respect, built with great difficulty, that is now at stake. This articulation would involve a segment of leaders and has never spoken for the millions of evangelicals in this country. And it opens a dangerous precedent: a state that accepts to downgrade one faith opens the door to disrespect any other, including the small church in the periphery or the denomination that may tomorrow find itself in the minority. Religious freedom protects evangelicals just as much as it protects Catholics and followers of African religions. Using political power to downgrade one religion in the name of another is to turn faith into an electoral weapon and pit Brazilians against Brazilians at the Sunday lunch table. Those who benefit from this dispute are the merchants of faith, who use the Bible as a platform and the pulpit as a campaign committee. The response must come firmly and unequivocally in defense of a secular state that respects memory, culture, and faith. (translated)
