Lula makes a new nod and defends ‘religious freedom’ in meeting with the pope’s emissary – 04/08/2024 – Power

President Lula (PT) used a meeting with the Vatican’s top diplomat to highlight that his government defends religious freedom. This is yet another nod from the PT member to religious groups, amid difficulties in research with this segment.

The president received, at the Planalto Palace, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who is Pope Francis’ Secretary of State. Parolin makes the first solo visit by a Vatican Secretary of State to Brazil since 2000.

After the meeting, Lula published a photo next to the cardinal.

“I received the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, at the Palácio do Planalto. We talked about the federal government’s efforts to combat inequalities and hunger and actions in this regard during Brazil’s leadership in the G20. We also agreed on the importance of governments guarantee religious freedom and the rights of indigenous peoples”, wrote the president.

In a statement released after the meeting, Secom said that the president praised Pope Francis as “one of the great leaders in the world who has stood up against war and inequality.”

“Both agreed on the importance of governments guaranteeing religious freedom,” the statement continues.

The text also says that the cardinal exposed the Vatican’s interest in the situation of indigenous peoples in Brazil. On this topic, Lula cited the creation of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples and the demarcation of lands, among other points.

The meeting was attended by the special advisor for international affairs, Celso Amorim, and the first lady, Rosângela da Silva, known as Janja.

Religious freedom is a term that has become the subject of dispute in recent years. On the one hand, more conservative groups say that this principle guarantees that religious leaders can defend certain dogmas in temples — such as the treatment of homosexuality as a sin — without interference from the State or risk of liability.

On the other, Lula’s allies remember that it was the PT member who signed the Religious Freedom Law in 2003. The norm establishes the free creation, organization, internal structuring and functioning of religious organizations, “public authorities are prohibited from denying them recognition or registration of the constitutive acts necessary for their functioning.”

This action by Lula in his first term was used by allies in the 2022 campaign to refute accusations from Bolsonaro supporters that the PT member would close churches if elected.

According to interlocutors, the topic of religious freedom came up in Parolin’s meeting with Lula in the context of the discussion on the current stage of an agreement signed with the Vatican in 2008. The treaty established the legal status of the Catholic Church in Brazil.

The PT member, according to interlocutors, highlighted the change in the religious profile of Brazilian society in recent decades, with the decrease in the number of people who declare themselves Catholic. He also told Francisco’s emissary that he was against the exploitation of faith for political purposes.

Since last year, Lula has been advised to approach religious leaders in society, mainly evangelicals. The president had until now resisted this possibility, on the grounds that he did not want to mix politics with religion.

Calls for him to reach out to the religious public increased with the release of opinion surveys that showed difficulties in the government’s assessment. Planalto’s main concern is not with Catholics, but with evangelicals.

In the latest Datafolha survey, 33% consider Lula’s administration to be bad or terrible, compared to 30% in the previous survey, demonstrating a negative fluctuation. A specific analysis of the evangelical public shows that disapproval, from 38% in December, rose in the third month of 2024 to 43%.

Planalto’s allies in the evangelical world have met with ministers in recent weeks and conveyed the message that, in the current situation of the government, the trend is for the polls to worsen. According to them, at this rate it may be difficult to build rapprochement. In an election year, the scenario is seen with even more caution.

The conversation led to an inflection at the core of the government. Last Thursday (4), Lula gave a speech in which she repeated the words “God” or “miracle” once a minute.

The speech was made impromptu, but took place after conversations with allies.

The diagnosis of Lula’s interlocutors is that the head of the Executive is “a man of faith”. But, according to them, Lula needs to use public speeches to make the Christian influence in his life clearer.

On another front, the Lula government intends to mobilize the Esplanada dos Ministérios in the mission of reacting against the crisis of popularity among religious people. Ministers from different areas will be scheduled for meetings with evangelical leaders.

The expectation, according to Lula’s interlocutors, is that the agendas will also serve as an anteroom for eventual meetings between the president himself and leaders of large churches.