Supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the Congress building in Brasilia as the country’s bishops call for an end to the chaos: Brazil needs dialogue.
(Vatican News Network)Brazil’s political polarization has worried local churches, which have called for peace and an end to violence. Cardinal Orani João Tempesta, archbishop of the ecclesiastical province of Rio de Janeiro, also spoke of the assault on the buildings of Congress, the Presidential Palace and the Supreme Court in Brasilia by supporters of former President Bolsonaro. In an interview with this news site on January 9, he said that the previous day’s situation “must be condemned”. The cardinal also stressed that these situations highlight the “division of Brazil”.
To this end, card. Tempesta invited the Brazilian people to “stand in solidarity”. “We need a fraternal dialogue that respects the cultural and religious diversity of the country,” he said. Finally, the cardinal urged everyone to pray for dialogue so that they can “look to the future and create a time in which all people can live in peace and live in prosperity”.
The Brazilian Bishops’ Conference also released a statement on its website and Twitter account. The statement reads that the serious violence in Brasilia is disturbing. For this reason, the President of the Bishops’ Conference has called for tranquillity, peace and the immediate cessation of illegal attacks on democratic countries governed by law. “These attacks must be stopped immediately and the organizers and participants in the attacks must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Citizens and democracy must be protected,” the statement read.
Four hundred people were arrested a day after supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro raided the buildings of Brazil’s Congress and government in Brasilia. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court fired the governor of Brasilia and ordered social media platforms to block incitement of violent protesters. Protesters then blocked roads and highways overnight in at least four states across the country. President Lula, who took office on Jan. 1 after a contested election, held a meeting with 27 state governors and justice ministers on Jan. 9.
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