2023-07-05 18:39:08
The case of pastor André Valadão motivated the Secretary for Women in the state of São Paulo, Sonaira Fernandes, to warn against a series of attacks on the religious freedom of Christians in Brazil.
Valadão is the leader of Lagoinha Church and pastor of the congregation in Orlando, Florida (USA). One of his sermons on sin and repentance has been covered in the press and also on social networks as an incitement to violence, taking his message out of context.
Sonaira Fernandes, who is evangelical, used her page on Instagram to punctuate a detail of the social and political context experienced in the country in recent months: “There is a systematic attack on the religious freedom of Christians in Brazil, all using the false signaling of virtues as a pretext to silence and censor the followers of Jesus Christ: from the invasion of a catholic temple in Curitiba by a horde of petistas, led by a congressman, even the then candidate Lula insinuating that priests and pastors are unnecessary”.
The cases referred to by the state secretary for Women are that of then councilor Renato Freitas (PT), who led an invasion of a Catholic church in Curitiba (PR), and of then-presidential candidate Lula (PT), who during a speech in the Anhangabaú Valley, he textually stated that “I don’t need priests or pastors”, adding that churches are a “faction”: “This is how we have to do it so we don’t have to listen to people telling lies”.
Sonaira’s surgical analysis also highlighted the need to react to the narrative: “Now, André Valadão is being attacked and accused as a criminal just for exposing what the Bible says about sin and repentance. We cannot remain silent: it is time to enforce what the Constitution says about religious freedom, or in a short time we will be treated as second-class citizens, gagged and imprisoned for announcing the Gospel”.
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