2024-03-13 18:15:02
Minister André Mendonça, of the Federal Supreme Court, reacted to the speech of Minister Gilmar Mendes, his colleague on the Court who last Monday said there was an alleged “evangelical drug militia” in Rio de Janeiro, during an interview for the program Estúdio i, from GloboNews.
Mendonça, who in addition to being a jurist member of the STF, is also a pastor of the Presbyterian Church, stated that he contacted Gilmar in order to better clarify his statement.
“I spoke with Minister Gilmar Mendes about what happened. On that occasion, His Excellency reaffirmed to me (i) his respect for the evangelical community, (ii) that on his part there was no intention to embarrass its members and (iii) that he would be available to the Church leadership to talk and clarify the matter ”, informed the pastor.
Following the note, Mendonça comes out in defense of the evangelical community, refuting the malicious insinuations that associate the segment with organized crime. In his statement to Estúdio i, Gilmar Mendes did not make any distinction between criminals who, perhaps, pretend to be members of a church.
“I can say, with great confidence, that if there is an evangelical network in this country, it is made up of more than 1/3 of the population, which is systematically dedicated to preventing the entry or removing people from the world of crime, especially those related to drug trafficking and use, which cause so much suffering to Brazilian families”, says Mendonça
Discrimination
André Mendonça casts doubt on the veracity of the statements made by Gilmar Mendes, clarifying that if such a statement about “evangelical narco-militia” occurred, in fact, it is the result of discrimination and prejudice on the part of those who made the accusation.
The minister also demanded responsibility from those who are aware of the alleged complaint, saying that if it is true, those responsible for possible crimes must respond duly.
“It is expected, therefore, that any illegal conduct of this nature will be subject to accountability, regardless of the religion professed in a hypocritical, false and opportunistic way by anyone”, concludes Mendonça. Read the full note, below:
Public Note. Subject: news about alleged “evangelical narcomilicia”. pic.twitter.com/mriI9diBqg
— André Mendonça (@MinAMendonca) March 13, 2024
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