Father Airton Freire, 67 years old, was arrested this Friday, the 14th, in Arcoverde, Pernambuco, pursuant to a preventive arrest warrant. The religious, founder of Fundação Terra, is suspected of rape — which he denies. The Foundation, created in 1984 to help needy families, has five units, three in Pernambuco and two in Ceará, in Maracanaú (Metropolitan Region of Fortaleza) and Juazeiro do Norte (Cariri Cearense) — the latter being implemented.
The allegations against the priest came to light in May of this year. At the time, a 53-year-old woman reported that, in August 2022, she was raped by an employee of Airton Freire, at his behest.
The priest would have witnessed the sexual crime and masturbated. “When I jumped out of bed, the driver put the knife on my neck, gave me a tie and said ‘quiet, no one is going to die’”, said Sílvia Tavares de Souza in an interview with TV Jornal, in Pernambuco.
The sexual crime would have occurred during a spiritual retreat, after the victim was called by the priest to his quarters. According to Sílvia, she started to follow the religious in 2019, after developing depression. “She was a firm believer in his honesty and called him her godfather.”
On Friday, the Public Ministry of Pernambuco (MPPE) reported that there were five police investigations investigating the priest. As the cases are processed in secrecy of Justice, details about the other accusations against Airton Freire were not disclosed.
According to the ministerial body, the arrest of the priest was necessary to “ensure the continuity of the investigative work of the Police”, “remove the risks of criminal repetition” and ensure protection for victims who sought the State to report criminal facts against their sexual dignities. Three MPPE members were assigned to follow the case.
“The Public Prosecution Service of the State of Pernambuco has carried out a careful examination of the evidence collected so far and is guided by the internal and international norms inserted in the national legal system, concerned mainly with human rights and with the necessary measures to protect and avoid revictimizations victims who sought the state apparatus to report sexual violence that are under investigation,” the agency said in a statement.
The operation that led to the arrest of the priest involved the Civil Police of Ceará and the Federal Highway Police (PRF). In addition to the arrest, a search and seizure warrant was served.
POVO questioned the Secretariat of Public Security and Social Defense (SSPDS) what was the performance of the Ceará police in the case and whether there are complaints against the priest in the State.
The folder instructed that the Civil Police of Pernambuco be sought, which O POVO did, but, so far, did not receive a response. In a note, the Pernambuco police stated that details of the investigations will be presented “in a timely manner”.
What the defense of Father Airton Freire says
In a note, the priest’s defense lawyers stated that the arrest is “totally contrary to the conditions provided for by law and will be dealt with in habeas corpus to be filed by the defense”.
Lawyers Marcelo Leal and Mariana Carvalho also cited the religious’s poor state of health and that he never interfered with the investigations. On other occasions, the priest had already spoken out, claiming to be the victim of an injustice. See the note in full:
The defense of Father Airton Freire was surprised by the decision to decree the preventive detention of the priest. The deed is totally contrary to the conditions provided for by law and will be dealt with in habeas corpus to be filed by the defense. It is important to remember that the priest, a 67-year-old man, has serious health restrictions.
The decision ignores that the priest had withdrawn from ecclesiastical functions and from the presidency of Fundação Terra, where he carries out social work that has assisted thousands of people over the last 40 years. After the removal, he was isolated in his residence – which is fixed, where he can be found at any time -, so as not to interfere in the investigations.
Despite all the support he has received from thousands of people on the internet and in public demonstrations on the streets of Arcoverde (PE), the priest never encouraged or encouraged movements, so as not to cause social commotion or public disorder. What’s more, he acted in good faith by agreeing to spontaneously present himself to Justice after the arrest was decreed, without creating mechanisms to delay compliance with the legal order.
Learn more about the priest and Fundação Terra
According to Fundação Terra’s website, Father Airton Freire is the author of around 100 books and countless albums of music and spiritual messages recorded in audio. All the money obtained from the sale of productions is donated to the foundation, he said.
In an interview with O POVO in 2007, the priest stated that he was ordained a diocesan priest in 1982 and, in 1984, he discovered Rua do Lixo, in Arcoverde. There, he was faced with the poverty of people who relied on garbage to survive, which motivated him to create an association, later a foundation, to help them.
The Fundação Terra website states that the entity’s projects “aim to integrate families, helping their basic needs, that is, housing and food, health and education (within the financial limitations of the institution)”.
“The development programs seek to train people who live in Rua do Lixo and in neighboring municipalities, as well as in Maracanaú, contributing to the achievement of the following goals: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting equality gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality and improve maternal health”.
The priest had been removed last May from religious activities by the Diocese of Pesqueira (PE). (With information from Jornal do Commercio, via Rede Nordeste).
