PL deputy says Brazil is experiencing ‘bibliophobia’ and ‘churchphobia’

Discussion

When talking about stable unions between LGBTQIA+ people, Eli stated that the STF should not “snoop” on Congressional issues

Representative Eli Borges (PL-TO), Leader of the Evangelical Front in the Chamber, declared to the Metrópoles portal that Brazil is experiencing a moment of “bibliophobia” and “persecution” of the religious segment, and that these actions are policies of the federal government, headed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

“We are living in a very dangerous time in Brazil, which I call churchphobia, bibliophobia. And now it seems that they are creating the figure of priestphobia. This is horrible, because these are people who are equipped with the federal government’s public policies,” he declared.

Eli Borges, who takes turns leading the Evangelical Front with Deputy Silas Câmara (Republicanos-AM), declared that the bench’s priority in 2024 will be to defend the family and freedom, respecting all religions.

“Defense of the family in the patriarchal Jewish mold, which is the model of biology, science, to defend freedom and in the context of democracy, especially religious democracy, respecting all religions”.

The interview also addressed stable unions between LGBTQIA+ people. In 2011, the STF equated relationships between people of the same gender with stable unions between men and women, recognizing same-sex unions as a family nucleus.

However, the parliamentarian declared that the Federal Supreme Court should “snoop less on the Legislative Power”.

“We have to understand that this has already been pacified by the Federal Supreme Court, which a priori needs to snoop a little less on the Brazilian Legislative Power, with all due respect to the ministers, especially some of them”, declared Eli Borges.

The interview also addressed the payment of the prebend for evangelicals or congrua for Catholics. These values ​​are received by pastors or priests for religious activity. Under legislation, this payment is not considered a form of remuneration, therefore, churches do not need to pay contributions to the INSS.

In January, the Federal Revenue suspended an act issued by the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) that benefited religious people. Evangelicals complain about this movement and claim that the Planalto ignores the pastors, while some, linked to former president Bolsonaro, criticize Lula.

Borges states that Lula promised respect and dialogue with religious people and states that if the president “is intelligent, he will respect the more than 200 thousand religious leaders that exist” in Brazil.

“It’s a decision in his head. When he was a candidate, he promised to respect us. He promised there would be frank and open dialogue. There is an expression in the Bible that says that, by the fruit, you know the tree. The fruit he bears when he verbalizes the relationship is not exactly from the records he made during the election campaign. A lot of people ‘made the L’ [votou em Lula] because he believed these records. (The fruit) is not from a president who recognizes the importance of the religious segment”, she concluded.

*With information from iG

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